


Remember Me? V2

by Ladyelle



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Assassination, Betrayal, Blow Jobs, Canon-Typical Violence, Deception, Declarations Of Love, Eventual Sex, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Game Spoilers, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Reader-Insert, Sex, Smut, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-12-25 01:08:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 56,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12024897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladyelle/pseuds/Ladyelle
Summary: You found yourself a prisoner aboard a pirate ship, only to have a tall, distinguished man rescue you. You had no idea who he was, or who you were for that matter. Will your amnesia or your heart win first?*Edit version for fan request*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> At the request of YourNumberOneFan, this is a different version of Remember Me? With the delightful Shay Cormac having a more of a role with the reader ;) If you have already read the original, feel free to jump to chapter 7, as there are only minor changes to the story up until that point XD

"Again."

You picked yourself up from the floor for what felt like the hundredth time today, and stood in your attack stance once again. Bruised and weary, you brought your swords up high and lunged towards your sparring partner, only to be disarmed and knocked to the floor seconds later.

"Again."

"Please Sir, can't we take just a small break?" You breathed heavily, propping yourself up on your swords and glanced up at your opponent with pleading eyes.

Haytham Kenway, a tall foreboding man; dressed elegantly in deep blue regal attire, had not even broken out in a sweat. Although he prided himself on his appearance, the only thing he had removed for your training session was his noble tricorn hat, something he was rarely seen without. He spun around and shifted his cape behind his shoulder, staring at you with his steel coloured eyes.

"I said, Again."

You pushed yourself up using what little energy you had left, stance faltering as you readied to attack once again. You had no idea why he had insisted on training you, but were grateful none the less. It had been two months since he had rescued you from your captors, you had been found bound and gagged aboard a pirate ship, no doubt to be sold as a slave for some measly amount of coin. The only thing was, you had amnesia. Even with the doctors assistance of herbs and potions, your memories still evaded you, like a wall had been built around them.

Kenway was just going to drop you off at the nearest port and leave you to fend for yourself, until something strange happened. You had warned him of a pirate sneaking up behind, ready to lunge with a dagger in hand, but he was behind a stack of crates. Yet you could see him, a faint red glow in a cloud of fog. It was only fleeting, and it hadn't happened again in these past few months, but since that moment Kenway had taken you under his wing, spending vast amount of coin on you, and personally teaching you how to fight. It seemed you had a natural instinct for it, but without memories, it had been very slow going, and your body consistently ached. But eager to please the man who had saved your life, you persisted; giving it everything you had left, but after hours of sparring it wasn't much.

"Perhaps we had better finish for today." 

Haytham's tone was neutral as he sheathed his sword, reaching out to help you from the floor.

"Thank you Sir." 

You sheathed your own swords and dusted yourself off in attempt to make yourself a bit more presentable, before hastily making your way towards the house.

"(Name), I will be having a few guests accompanying us for dinner tonight, please dress appropriately for the occasion."

You let out a sigh before turning around and nodding in acknowledgement. Great, that meant wearing an infernal dress, and smiling sweetly while several men leered over you like a piece of meat. But you didn't dare complain, you had it too good here, and especially when you didn't have any idea who you were, or where you came from. Sauntering up the stairs to your room at the back of the house, you ungraciously flopped onto the bed and closed your eyes. You reached up to where the lump had been on the back of your head, and rubbed it gingerly, concentrating on trying to remember what happened before you awoke on the pirate ship. Sighing as the wall of cloud yet again refused to budge, you got up and stared out of the window, surveying the grounds as you took off your swords and belts.

The estate was huge, made up of several gardens and houses, befitting of what you could only assume was Kenway's stature. He was very secretive about his profession, never even hinting on what he did on his daily activities, other than training you. You could only make assumptions, based on what you had seen or heard, which wasn't much. He was the Leader, you at least knew that, everyone jumping to do his bidding as soon as he spoke, and the men that frequently visited called him 'Sir' or 'Grand Master'. He was very well built from what you could tell, and his swordsmanship, was exquisite.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, and the maid scuttling in with a jug of warm water, and bowing out without saying a word. Pinching your brow, you picked up the jug and emptied it into your wash basin, glaring at your reflection in the water. Why was everyone afraid of you? Almost all of the staff around the estate completely ignored you, some even went out of their way to turn in the opposite direction if they saw you coming. Well, that was something you had to rectify. Soon.

 

You made your way down to the dining room attempting to smooth out your dress, hoping you looked presentable enough for the occasion. It was simply made, a dark blue silky fabric but with a very tight and uncomfortable bodice, so much that breathing was a chore. You took few more gulps of air and silently entered the dining area where the four men were; laughing and joking amongst themselves, completely oblivious to you in the room. It was a man you remembered as Thomas Hickey that noticed you first, who stopped mid conversation and stared at you with widened eyes. The rest of the men soon followed suit; noticing Hickey's distraction, their eyes landing on you standing meekly in the corner. You started fidgeting nervously with the cuff on your sleeve, lowering you head in attempt to hide the blush rising in your cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb. Shall I come back?"

It was Kenway who snapped his gaze away first, clearing his throat as to attract the attention of his associates.

"Of course not my dear, please come in. Allow me to introduce. This is William Johnson, a very good friend of mine. Johnson, this is (name), the young lady I was talking to you about earlier."

You extended your hand slowly, eyes widening when Johnson took it in both of his and began pumping it furiously. 

"Ah of course! Pleasure to meet you dear, I hear Haytham saved you from some skallywags?!"

 "Ummm, yes, Master Kenway has been very kind to me, taking me in and trying to help recover my memory." You stammered in between the jerking of your body.

"Come now Mister Johnson, before you pull the poor girls arm off."

Haytham yanked him away and handed him a tank of ale when he noticed your discomfort, giving you a slightly sympathetic look when he saw you wince and flex your hand.

"Oh I'm very sorry, I was just eager to meet the young lady that our Master Kenway has been talking about so often."

The pink hue crept up your cheeks once more as Haytham glared at Johnson, and then flickered over to you for a moment; looking almost as flustered as you felt.

"Ahem, Well. I assume you remember Mr Hickey? And Charles will be joining us also."

You gave a polite nod to the two remaining men; afraid to extend your arm again, fearful it might be wrenched out of its socket after William's enthusiasm. You recieved back a dashing smile from Hickey, and your usual scowl from Charles Lee which you weren't in the least surprised at. He made it very clear that he didn't like you and said on more than one occasion that you didn't belong, but as the weeks passed you noticed his unpleasant demeanour was the same with everyone, apart from Master Kenway, so you paid it no mind.

You all sat down to dinner as the kitchen staff came bustling in with several plates of food, thankful for the distraction. You picked up your wine glass and swiftly knocked back its contents, in hopes to stave off your nerves before gesturing for the maid to fill it back up.

"That's my kind of girl!"

You jumped and looked up to see all four pairs of eyes on you, three of shock, and Johnson's laughing.

"Um, sorry, I was a bit thirsty."

You sunk back into your chair and wished the ground would open up beneath you, swallowing you whole and saving you from dying of embarrassment. To your surprise the whole table erupted with laughter, which in turn made you start to giggle.

"No need to be sorry dear, it's actually quite refreshing considering the pompous fops I usually have to dine with." 

Hickey, who was sat next to you raised his glass to chink with yours, giving you a sly wink in agreement with William.

The rest of the dinner went quite smoothly, and you began to relax as you shared jokes and stories with Johnson and Hickey, while Lee and Kenway were engrossed in their own conversation. You didnt have much to contribute as the past few months you had pretty much been spent either training or in your room reading, so you sat and listened for the most part and, taking advantage to cast a few lingering glances at Haytham. You admired the way he was always pristine, his ashen hair perfectly in place tied back under his grand hat, the red ribbon around his neck contrasting the elegant blue of his coat and cape. You continued with your little glances until your eyes stopped at his wrist. Something was peeking from under his cuff, and faint recognition swam through your head. A blade? Where did you know that from? You had never seen anything like that whilst you had been here, you began chewing at your bottom lip, wracking your brain trying to remember where you had seen one before. 

Your thoughts were ground to a halt as you noticed Kenway staring at you with a twinkle in his eye, and the slight curve of a smile on his lips as he continued talking to Lee. You quickly snapped your attention back to Hickey; who was laughing at something Johnson had said, and attempted to hide the burning of your face by wiping your mouth with your napkin.

"As lovely as this has been gentlemen, I'm afraid I must retire its been a long day. And I'm sure you have many things to discuss."

You got up and held the chair tightly as you expected to feel woozy at the amount of wine you had drank at dinner, but found yourself quite sober. Hmmm, you must have been quite a drinker if that amount of alcohol didn't affect you that much.

"(Name), before you leave I forgot to inform you that I will be leaving for New York tomorrow on a business matter, Charles here will continue your training until I return."

You stared wide eyed at Charles, then Haytham. You definitely did not want to train with the man, and were almost certain that the feeling was mutual but neither of you had dared disagree. You gave a small nod in acknowledgement and hurried up the stairs to your room, pulling at the laces in the back of your dress as you ascended the steps. It took quite a bit of fumbling, but eventually you were free of the lung crushing garment and drew in a deep breath as you threw it on the floor at the bottom of your bed. Well, this evening had been... _eventful_ to say the least. Your stomach did a little flip as you recalled the way Haytham was looking at you, you may not have many memories but you knew what that look suggested. He was an attractive man, but you had been kept so busy since you had been brought here you hadn't even considered the possibility of anything more. As you climbed into bed, those thoughts were replaced by a nauseating feeling at the prospect of working with Charles Lee. Maybe you could take this opportunity to get to know the man a bit, perhaps find out why he disliked you and well, pretty much everyone else?

You tossed and turned for what felt like hours, but sleep still eluded you. The bustle downstairs had ended some time ago, letting you know that everyone had left for the night, and the staff had gone to bed. Maybe a walk around the gardens would ease your mind? You slumped out of bed and pulled on your trousers and boots; not bothering with your coat as it was still quite warm out, and silently crept down the stairs to the back door.

You closed your eyes and inhaled deeply as the night mist hit your skin, cooling you down slightly. One of the few things you did remember is that you preferred the evening to the daytime, as it made you feel more at ease. You started walking towards the barn and your favourite spot next to the biggest tree in the grounds, abruptly stopping about twenty feet away. You all of a sudden had the overwhelming urge to climb it, to gaze out in the distance from the top. You ran as fast as you could towards the trunk and leapt up, catching hold of the lowest branch and hoisted yourself up easily. Smiling to yourself you scrambled further up the tree, swinging and climbing as if it was the most natural thing in the world until you reached to the last remaining branch strong enough to hold your weight. 

Shuffling forward so the other branches didn't obscure your view, you looked out, taking in the vastness of the manor and the gardens. You had never realised it was quite this big, but then again you had never seen it from this high before. Squinting to try and see where the white smoke was coming from behind the house, something strange happened. Your vision clouded slightly - different from what you had experienced before, and then extreme focus. You could see past the house and to the market several streets over, as clear as if you were standing next to it. Panic took over you at the experience, and you felt your footing falter as you jolted. Unable to latch onto the branch in time you felt yourself falling from the tree, fast to the ground below. You reached out frantically for something to catch onto, your stomach lurching as your hand found the edge of the barn; fingers digging in for dear life. You caught your breath for a second and managed to kick out from the barn door in a flip, manoeuvring yourself to land on the haystack below. Raising your arm to cover your eyes and trying to make sense of what just happened, you suddenly froze as you heard a twig snap to your right.

"Couldn't sleep my dear?"

———————————————

Haytham was sat at his desk; scribbling furiously with his feather and ink, trying to finish preparations for his trip tomorrow but his mind kept flitting elsewhere. The image of you looking at him like that still played in his thoughts, and he was unsure about what to do about it. He had wondered about pursuing you for some time now but as you had shown no interest; other than training with him, he had decided to leave it, regarding you just as a pupil. That was until tonight.

He was startled at the sound of what was unmistakably the click of the back door, and looked out of the window to see who would be leaving this time of night. His gaze landed on you stood in the middle of the garden, his eyes widening as he watched you run towards the tree and climb it so gracefully, as if you had done it so many times before. He pondered for a moment, staring at his coat and hat that were neatly hung up before ignoring them and making his way outside.

As he neared the barn, his heart jumped as he watch you slip off the branch you were perched on, but stopped himself from running over as he saw you catch the barn and perform a rather complex move; landing in the nearby haystack.

 

——————————————

You jumped up at the voice and glanced at the figure who had snuck up on you, doing your best to fix your disheveled appearance.

"Erm, w-well, err, no sir. I'm sorry sir I know I shouldn't be out at night..."

Your voice trailed off as your gaze finally landed on Haytham, your mouth suddenly going dry. You had never seen him so, unkempt before, if you would call it that. He was obviously about ready to go to bed, only wearing boots, trousers and shirt, which was unbuttoned down to his naval. You swallowed hard when you realised you had been staring, forcing your head to move back up to face him, attempting to ignore the back flips your stomach was doing as you imagined what it would feel like to run your fingers over his muscled chest. Haytham walked towards you, his usual sombre expression smirking and his eyebrows raised as he circled behind you, stopping what you assumed was only a few inches away. You jumped as you felt his fingers brush the hair away from your neck as he leaned in to whisper in your ear, his breath hot against your skin.

"See something you like my dear?"

You clenched your fists, nails digging into the palm of your hands as you let out a deep sigh in attempt to slow your breathing, but his closeness to you made it futile.

"N-n-no sir." you let out in a whisper, not even sure if the words had come out, unable to hear them over the sound of your pounding heartbeat.

You felt him brush up against you as he moved around once again to face you, his steel eyes darkened with intent. He ran one finger down the buttons of your shirt, stopping as he came to the tops of your trousers which made you shudder.

"No? Well that is a shame, because I see something I like."

You brought up your now shaking hand and rested it on his chest, but instead of pushing him away like you intended, your fingers trailed over him, taking in the smoothness and defined curves of his abdomen. His eyes closed for a moment, then he took your chin and stepped forward so his lips were just shy of yours. 

"I think you lied to me, my dear."

You replied by closing the distance and brushing your lips against his, just fleeting in agreement with him. He wasted no time in kissing you back so forcefully it made you gasp, his arms wrapping around you tight, pressing your bodies flush together. You managed to wriggle your arms free so you could pull the remainder of his shirt open; your hands slipping under the fabric, feeling his body twitch as your nails dragged gently down his back. A moan rose in your throat as his hands roamed down your body, stopping as he ducked down slightly to reach your thighs, your legs instinctively wrapping around him as he lifted you up and carried you the few steps to the hay that you had fell into just before.

Finally breaking away the kiss which left you close to breathless, he dropped to his knees and lay you down on the hay, his hands swiftly undoing the buttons of your shirt and exposing your entire upper body to him. His eyes widened appreciatively as he lowered his head to take one of your hardening peaks in his mouth, gently sucking and biting, making little streaks of pleasure unfurl through you.  
Mustering every bit of concentration you could, your hands made their way around to the front of his trousers, stroking the hard length of flesh you could feel beneath the fabric of his pants. You could feel him tense up, a growl escaping him as you fumbled with the buttons in desperate need to free his throbbing erection. When you finally managed it, your hand immediately closed around the velvety flesh, stroking gently and making him shudder. His mouth stopped his ministrations on your breasts and he leaned back slightly so he could reach down to your own breeches, undoing them with much more grace than you managed and pushed them down as far as he could, making you wiggle your legs until you were free of them. He positioned himself between your thighs, his shaft poking at your entrance as he looked up at you, his hands curling into yours.

It took you a moment to realise he was waiting for your permission to continue, so you gave a small nod and bit your bottom lip as he pushed forward, slowly filling you with his length. He stayed a moment fully seated inside you then started moving gently, watching your face for any hint of you wanting him to stop. Once he was sure you were okay his pace quickened, his hands moving to hold your hips firmly as he relished in every squeeze you did around him, the tightness, exquisite. You threw your head back with a small moan, feeling the slight flickering of pressure building in your abdomen as he filled you deeply over and over. You knew you wouldn't hit your peak like this, but you were enjoying the sensations none the less. Haytham's movements were slowly becoming more erratic, his thrusts an uneven rhythm as he was beginning to unfold on top of you. He hissed as you bit down on his neck and your nails dug into his back, the last thing that he needed to push him over the edge; his body jerking as his climax overwhelmed him. You grabbed his hand to stop him as he moved to snake it between your legs, in attempts to bring you to your own release. 

"You dont need to do that, its okay."

He looked up at you slightly breathless and with a guilty look in his eyes, his hair that had fallen from its confines tickling your cheek.

"I'm so sorry (name), it has been some time since I have indulged in, anything, and you have managed to unravel me."

You closed your eyes and gave him a smile as he littered kisses across your cheek and head.

"Really, its okay. I don't remember what I like, so there's no way you could know."

He now looked thoughtful, his thumb caressing your cheek before leaning back and getting up to standing, pulling you up with him.

"A learning experience for us both then, when I return from New York?"

You raised your eyebrows slightly bewildered, your face turning a deep shade of crimson as he handed you your breeches before doing his own up and tucking his shirt back in.

"I would like that, if that's what you want as well?"

You concentrated on pulling your own trousers on, thankful of the warmth as the evening had decidedly turned cold and you began to shiver slightly. You hadn't noticed he had moved beside you, nearly crashing into him as you straightened up.  
Taking your chin in his hand, the other lacing his fingers with yours, he stared into your eyes, his softened gaze relaxing you slightly.

"I would not have asked if I didn't want that too. I am not in the habit of playing games."

"When you return it is then." You giggled slightly to yourself as he placed your arm through the crook of his, leading you back to the manor.


	2. Chapter 2

You awoke early the next morning, scrunching your face up as the harsh sunlight filled your room. You threw your pillow at the window and, cursed yourself for forgetting to close the curtains again. Rolling over onto your back and throwing your arm across your face, you letmout a heavy sigh as the events of last night jumped into your head. Was it a dream? The dull ache in your abdomen says it wasn't, and was soon confirmed as you ran your fingers through your hair and plucked out a piece of straw. You sat up smiling to yourself, staring at the bit of hay as you rolled it between your fingers until it crumbled to dust. Your stomach tied in a knot and, a tingling between your legs arose as you ran Haythams request over and over again in your mind. He wants to learn what you like hmm? To be honest, you were looking forward to knowing yourself as well as what he liked. 

You hadn't even seen the man fully naked, but you could imagine from what your fingers and body had felt. You were so caught up in thinking about seeing Haytham naked you didn't notice your hand had subconsciously moved to between your thighs, until you jumped as your fingers gently trailed over your folds. Maybe just a quick test by yourself? You ran one finger through the slippery crease, biting your lip as you reached your entrance, stopping just before you pressed it in. No. You would wait for him to return, surely his touch would be far better than your own anyway. Well, you hoped.

You jumped out of bed when your stomach growled at the smell of bacon that came wafting up through the house, quickly pulling on your trousers and boots, running your fingers through your hair to remove the last few traces of hay still clinging. You froze as you went to grab your belts and swords, remembering that it was not Haytham you were training with today, but Charles instead. You scowled as you slowly did them up, your appetite suddenly waining at the thought.

Your hunger soon came back as you walked into the kitchen, the cook placing a plate of bacon, cornmeal and bread in front of you as you sat at the table.

"Thank you.. sorry, I don't recall your name?"

You picked up a piece of bacon and began nibbling on it as you stared at the slightly older woman, who was now wide-eyed at being spoken to.

"Erm, Florence ma'am, but everyone calls me Flo." She replied shakily as she quickly turned around to resume her cooking.

"Thank you, Flo. Could I ask you something?"

"Ma'am?"

"It's (name) please. Could you tell me why everyone here avoids me? No-one will even speak to me unless I'm asking them for something."

You sat back lazily in your chair, fiddling with the bread roll and smiling gently as she turned to make her reply.

"I'm sorry ma'am. Excuse me, (name). But we aren't usually permitted to speak with Master Kenways guests, and everyone was a bit spooked at him bringing a lady to stay."

"So he doesn't have many women guests then?!" 

You tried to hide your shock at this bit of information, as you assumed that with Haythams good looks and stature, he would have had a fair few women as acquaintances.

"No ma'am, you're the first as I recall, and I've worked here for some time now. So we all came to the idea that you were really important or something."

You quickly covered your mouth with your hand so you wouldn't spit out the piece of bread you were eating as you bubbled into laughter at hearing this.

"Oh, I'm sorry Flo, I don't mean to laugh! I'm not important at all. Master Kenway rescued me from pirates, and he's helping me as I lost my memories after getting knocked on the head. Please talk to me, I'll go out of my mind if I've only got Charles for company."

Flo turned around trying to hide the smile that had crept up on her face, her body relaxing a little.

"Did someone say my name?"

Startled, you dropped your bread on the table and turned to the gruff voice behind you, forcing yourself to look him in the eye as you spoke.

"I was just thanking Flo for breakfast, but now I must be going to meet you for training. Charles."

You mimicked the glare he was giving you, not wanting him to see any indication the nervousness you were feeling.

"I see. Well, let's get this over with, I have many more important things that have to be done today. You, back to work."

Your glare hardened as you got up to follow Lee into the gardens, watching Flo lower her head and resume cooking at his barking order.

"I'll be back later!" You called over your shoulder, hoping she heard you over the clattering of pots and pans.

You had to shield your eyes as you stepped outside, the mid-day sun glaring harshly down on you. You were quite pleased when you were led past the spot that you usually trained in with Haytham, not stopping until you reached the thickness of the trees, the canopy shading the most of the heat.

"You will not need those."

Charles gestured towards your swords as he swiftly undid his coat, discarding it to the ground behind him. He pulled open two of the buttons on his shirt and rolled up his sleeves while he waited for you to take off your swords, propping them up against the nearby tree.

"My fighting style is more, physical. Let's see if you can knock me down."

Your eyes widened as he smirked at you, raising his fists in a boxing stance. You began to panic as you copied his pose, nothing you had ever done before came even close to preparing you for this. Swallowing hard and taking a deep breath, you punched forward with your right arm, only for Charles to catch your fist and push you backwards, making you fall heavily to the ground. You got up slowly, rubbing the bruised patch on your rear as Lee snorted at you. Hmmm, not boxing then, something else. You knew you would have to figure it out quickly, if anything but to wipe that smug expression off his face. You resumed the stance once again, this time closing in on him and waited for him to throw the first punch. When he did you smacked his arm out of the way and stepped forward to deliver your own strike, only for it to brush against his shirt as he stepped back.

"Come on Girly. I was told you were better than this."

You exchanged blows a few more times; yours either missing or parried away easily, finding yourself being knocked to the floor on several occasions. Becoming exasperated you struck out wildly; letting your guard down, only to be rewarded with Lee's fist making contact with your lower jaw, hard enough to make your teeth clatter. You dropped down to your knees and spat out, a tinge of blood reddening your saliva. You brought your hands up to guard your face as Lee grabbed your shirt, dragging you up so your face was an inch away from his.

"You don't belong here... Assassin."

He let go as he threw you back down, turning to pick up his coat and head back towards the house.

"Same time tomorrow. Kenways orders."

You watched angrily as he walked away, spitting more blood on the ground when it pooled on your tongue. Collecting your swords; not even bothering to put them back on, you made your way back to the kitchen, hoping that Flo was still there.

"Oh, my dear, whatever happened to you?" Flo gushed as she rushed over to you when you dropped your swords on the table with a clatter and slumped in the nearby chair.

"It's nothing..." You raised your hand to touch your lip gingerly, it was now quite swollen where it was cut, but it had stopped bleeding at least. "Charles's training was a bit more, physical than I expected that's all."

"Oooh, that wicked man. Never did like him."

You winced when she pressed a cold cloth against your face, attempting to wipe the blood away that had now dried on your chin.

"Thank you, Flo."

"That's okay dearie. I hope you gave him back as good as he dished out?"

You scoffed, then grimaced at the pain when your mouth turned down and pulled at the split, making it bleed slightly again.

"Unfortunately not. As much as I would've liked to smack him on his smug moustache, fighting like that is very new to me. Didn't even ruffle a whisker."

Flo burst out in laughter as she handed you a mug of ale and took the cloth from you, dunking it in the sink to wash it out. You took a sip of the dark liquid, sloshing it around your mouth before swallowing, in an attempt to rid the metallic taste off your tongue. You set the mug down on the table and strolled over to where she was, eyebrows raising at the stack of potatoes she was peeling for tonight's supper.

"Can I ask you something again Flo?" 

"Course you can. Oh, by the way, I spoke to some of the maids, they won't be ignoring you anymore, least not while the Master is away of course."

You gave her a lopsided smile, well as much as you could muster without ripping your lip open again, and placed your hand on top of hers in appreciation.

"That's very kind of you, I'm eternally grateful."

"It's not a problem. Now, what did you want to ask me?"

You leant against the countertop and picked up a piece of carrot, chewing on it thoughtfully as you recalled what Lee had said to you just after he grabbed you.

"Do you know who, or what an 'Assassin' is?"

Flo froze for a second, but quickly resumed peeling before you had the chance to notice her reaction and pretending to think about it for a moment.

"No idea dearie, why do you ask?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh, it's probably nothing, just something Charles said to me while we were training that's all."

"I wouldn't pay any mind to that man, most likely some kind of insult I'm supposing, you know he does it to us every chance he gets. Now go and get yourself cleaned up, you're a right mess."

You looked down at yourself, only now noticing the mud and grass stains all over your clothes, as well as the odd drip of blood. You nodded in agreement and collected your swords from the table, not realising the cook was staring at you intently as you left.

Flo had indeed heard of what an Assassin was; she'd picked up on a few conversations between the Master and his guests while serving dinner. She didn't know much, only that they were dangerous, and Master Kenway's enemy. Flo pondered a moment longer as to why you would be here if you _were_ one of them, before deciding to keep it to herself and carry on preparing dinner.

 

The next few days passed in the same way as the first, your body littered with bruises as you endured your _training_ with Lee, still not managing to best him and spending the rest of your time either talking with Flo in the kitchen or up in your room reading. You had just finished your latest pummeling with the poor excuse of a man and were walking past Haythams den towards the stairs, until you noticed someone staring out of the window with his back to you. Knocking on the door gently as you entered the room, the figure turned around to face you as you went in.

"Thomas?"

You smiled and let your guard down as you approached him, thankful that it was someone you knew.

"Ah (name) nice to see yer again. Was just waiting for Charles, we're due a meetin'." His voice faltered, and his smile dropped straight from his face as he took in your dishevelled appearance.

"What the devil 'appened to you?!"

You ran your fingers through your hair and pulled your shirt straight, trying to neaten yourself up as his eyes roamed over you suspiciously. 

"Oh it's nothing, Mister Lee has been kind enough to educate me in the fineries of hand to hand combat."

His brow furrowed as he noticed the now healing cut on your lip and the spattering of small bruises on your arms, which you quickly tried to conceal by unrolling your cuffs. You jumped as Thomas strolled over purposefully and caught your hand as you were fumbling with your shirt, pushing your sleeve back up; his fingers gently tracing the marks on your wrist.

"A man should neva' leave a mark like this on someone so beautiful."

Your hand was shaking now, your breathing quickening as his finger trailed up to your face, grazing your lip just below the cut. You lowered your gaze as he stepped closer, his body just shy of pressing up against yours.

"Tell me miss, anyone here claimed you? Taken your fancy I mean." His voice was turning low and seductive as he tilted your chin up so your lips nearly met his. You nodded furiously as words failed to come out, your eyes looking anywhere but into his.

"Hay-Haytham." You managed in a little squeak at last.

Thomas immediately took a step back and dropped your hand, his face twisting in a mix of horror and fear.

"Master Kenway?! I see, I didn't mean..."

 "Sorry for keeping you Mister Hickey, I was busy dealing with that woma....."

Lee halted in his tracks as he came into the den, his eyes narrowing as he noticed you in the room standing closer to Thomas that would be considered socially acceptable.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" He barked.

"Calm down Charles, she was keepin' me company until you arrived. Think you should be a bit more careful, don't think Master Kenway would be happy to see that you've used 'er as a punching bag."

You stood nervously as each man glared at each other, Charles turning his attention back to you first.

"I was told to train her, and that's exactly what I have been doing. Also its none of your business, Thomas. You. Leave."

You ran out of the den as quickly as your legs could carry you, up the stairs to the solace of your own room. You slammed the door shut and took a few deep breaths, calming down the pounding in your chest. Well, if Lee only hated you before, he would despise you now after Hickey's retort.  
You smiled as you turned to face the door; the young maid you now knew as Lucy coming in with your usual jug of water for your basin. You had grown quite fond of her the past few days, she was quite openly spoken now that Flo had talked to her.

"Fancy a chat, Lucy?"

She nodded eagerly as you both jumped up and sat cross-legged on your bed, filling her in on the details of your day.


	3. Chapter 3

Nearly two weeks had passed since Kenway had left, and you were beginning to wonder if he was ever coming back. You were sprawled out under your favourite tree, flicking through some boring book about sailing you had picked up; not even bothering to look at the cover as you grasped it when you left your room. You had foregone your usual routine of eating breakfast in the kitchen as Lee and Hickey were there, so engrossed in conversation that they didn't even notice you walk in and leave with an apple that you plucked from the basket beside them. You had managed to avoid seeing Thomas since that day in the den all but once; when he managed to stop you in the hall and ask how you were, genuine concern in his eyes as he saw you sporting a fresh array of marks.

You were fiddling with a long blade of grass, peeling it into thin strips as you looked up at the sound of your name being called. It seemed Charles was ready for today's session, and much to your dismay, he had brought Thomas along to spectate. Sauntering over miserably, you kicked off your boots and untucked your shirt as you had found it easier to defend against him being less restricted, and stood ready in your stance. Charles with his usual smirk lunged at you first, but you had managed to block his attack with little effort which earnt you a scowl. You had quickly picked up on the way he fought, his movements becoming predictable enough so you could either move out of the way or block his advances, but you still had yet to land a blow of your own on him.

A while of moving to and fro, you glanced out of the corner of your eye to where Hickey stood at the rail that cordoned off the trees from the rest of the garden. William had joined him - beaming a smile at you, and to his left stood Haytham, his eyes twinkling and following you intently just as they had done at dinner some weeks ago. You lowered your guard for only a fraction of a second, but it was long enough for Lee to kick out; landing straight in your stomach, knocking the wind out of you. You could hear him cackling as you coughed for a moment, but you quickly regained your composure with fire in your eyes. Given your new audience, you were more determined than ever to beat him at last. You knew well enough now to know what was coming next, and you had to act quickly.

True enough, he jabbed out with his right arm, but you caught it with your own and spun into him so your back was against his chest, jabbing hard with your left elbow straight into his ribs. His body went limp with this blow, and you used all of your strength to lean forward, flipping him over your shoulder and dropping him to the ground. You lept over him, ramming your knee into his chest and drew your arm back, ready to punch him unless he gave up. But he didn't say anything. He just stared wide-eyed at your hand, looking back to your face, and then your hand again. Wondering what he was staring at, your own gaze travelled to your arm to see something bizarre. Instead of seeing your hand clenching into a fist ready to punch, your wrist was flicked back, fingers pointing to the sky. Confused by this, you got up and brushed off your clothes and headed to where Johnson was cheering and clapping profusely.

"Well done (name)! It's about time someone put that pompous git in his place!"

You exaggerated a bow and turned your attention to Haytham, whose arms were crossed in anger as his eyes flittered over you, stopping particularly at your lips. You raised your hand to your mouth, fingers tracing over the nearly healed cut. It had taken some time to close completely, as your skirmishes with Lee had pulled it open repeatedly. Thomas leaned over to whisper something to Kenway as he noticed his displeasement, Haytham's eyes now glaring over to where Charles was brushing himself off and putting his coat back on.

"I see. I will deal with him later. Come, my dear, let us have a look at you."

Haytham extended his hand to help you over the rail, and wrapped his arm around your waist as he led you back to the house. Much to your suprisement, you continued walking past the door to your room, to another at the end of the corridor. Haytham opened the door and ushered you in, closing and locking it behind you both.

"I didn't realise you were back?" You said nervously as you took in your surroundings. 

This room which was obviously Kenways, was much larger than your own. There was a sizeable desk in the corner, adorned with a vast amount of missives and what looked liked maps. A case next to that, numerous books on the shelves - some of which you recognised as you moved closer. A dresser and wash basin the same as yours, and a bed in the other corner next to the window which was easily double the size that you had.

"I only returned an hour ago my dear, so there is no way that you could have been aware."

You turned around to face him, wondering how he had managed to remove his coat, hat and boots so quickly. He gestured for you to come closer as he rolled up his sleeves and filled his basin with water, dipping a small linen cloth into it.

"I assure you (name), Charles will not go unpunished for the way he has treated you. Thomas said that he'd spoken with him about it before?"

You held your breath as he started wiping at your face, paying particular attention to the patch on your lip.

"Its okay, they're healing quickly. Yes, Thomas told him that you wouldn't be happy at him using me as a 'punching bag'."

"It's not okay! This... is not okay!" He roared, dropping the cloth down as he gestured to your face, his own wrought in guilt. 

His features softened slightly as you raised your hand to his cheek, thumb caressing him gently. Your stomach fluttering, you stood on tiptoes and gently pressed your lips against his, your other arm curling around his neck. He responded just as softly, his mouth parting slightly as your tongue poked at the seam of his lips, tasting him; a mixture of wine and spice, slightly salty from the sea air. You felt one arm around your shoulders, the other curling around to the backs of your legs as he twisted to pick you up, cradling you in his arms as he carried you to his bed.

You sighed as he laid you down slowly, propping himself up on his elbows as his mouth broke away from yours, trailing feathery kisses over your cheek and down your neck. He paused for a moment after each peck, gauging your reaction as he descended, smiling to himself as he felt your body twitch as he hit a particular spot at the top of your collarbone. You let out a whimper as he latched on to it, your hands curling up around his back as he sucked and nibbled at the sensitive patch of skin. Your hands tightened around him as one of his moved in between you, slowly undoing the buttons of your shirt, his fingers stroking every bit of new flesh that was exposed; leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake.

Nudging his head with your chin he quickly took the hint, his mouth finding yours again and kissing you feverishly, making your heart dance. You dropped your arms down to move to undo his shirt, but he pulled back slightly, his breath heavy against your lips.

"Now dear, patience. We are supposed to be finding out what you like, remember?"

You pouted, but a moan caught in your throat as you threw your head back, his hand slipping under the remaining fabric that was covering your breasts and finding your stiff nipple, rolling it delicately between his fingers.

"Do not hold back (name), let me know."

You bit your lip and nodded in reply as his fingers skittered across your stomach, settling across the top of your breeches and pulling them open in one swift movement. Your breath was coming out in frantic pants as he lowered his head, kissing a trail over your soft mounds that set your skin on fire as his hands pushed your trousers further down, completely revealing you to him. He chuckled to himself as you eagerly kicked them off the rest of the way, along with your boots as they thudded on the floor. Your hands found the back of his head and tugged at the ribbon that held his hair in place, your fingers gliding through the soft strands as your body twitched and throbbed beneath his touch. Your patience wearing thin, in a split second you reached down and ripped his shirt open; scattering buttons everywhere as your hands caressed his chest, feeling every muscle tighten under your fingertips.

"Naughty girl." he breathed as his mouth moved lower, kissing your stomach with no intention of stopping in his descent.

Your hands curled into the blankets as he positioned himself between your legs, his lips stroking over your folds as his fingers massaged the creases either side, making your hips buck up in anticipation. Inhaling your scent deeply, his tongue washed over you, probing over your entrance and wiggling around your already throbbing bundle of nerves, sending sparks of electricity running through your blood. He was watching you intently, remembering every twitch, every moan you made as he licked and nibbled, seeing what got the best reaction out of you. He pulled away and ran his thumb all the way down and back up your wet slit, stopping at your swollen bud to rub gently in circles, feeling your legs tense up as he moved slightly faster.

"Is this what you like (name)?"

"Y-Yes." You finally managed to get the word out as you could feel the coil of pleasure growing within you, awakening every single nerve in your body.

"What about this?" he whispered as he pressed a finger inside you, caressing your velvety walls. 

He slowly added a second, stopping as he felt you tighten around the new intrusion before continuing, curling his fingers to rub up against the sensitive, rough patch. You couldn't speak this time, your reply came in the form of a load moan as your back arched, fingers digging into the bed as the intensity doubled, feeling like you would drown in the pleasure. Your breath caught in your throat as his mouth replaced his thumb, his tongue rapidly flicking over you as his fingers increased in pace, winding the coil tighter and tighter, making every part of you tremble. Just when you thought you couldn't take anymore the coil snapped, making you cry out as sparks of white-hot pleasure unfurled through you; your body shuddering as he slowly drank you up, little waves rippling over you as he worked you through your release.

You turned your head and looked at him through dazed eyes as he got up, smiling as he licked your essence clean off his fingers and began removing the rest of his clothes. Your eyes widened as you saw him fully naked for the first time, drinking in every curve of his sculpted body, his throbbing cock bobbing and glistening with arousal. He laid down next to you and gently pulled you on top of him, wrapping one arm around your waist, the other stroking your cheek as he kissed you tenderly.

"We found out what you liked then my dear?"

You smiled and trailed your fingers down his neck, your body reawakening as you felt his hot erection twitching against your stomach.

"Hmmm, not quite."

Putting most of your weight on your knees, you shuffled up slightly so his hardness just poked between your folds and slowly pushed down, gasping as you slid him into you. He inhaled sharply as you began to rock against him, his hands moving to your hips and holding you tightly as you moved at an agonisingly slow pace.

You could feel the pressure inside you slowly beginning to grow again, but it wasn't quite at the right angle so you sat up; moaning as you felt him push deeper inside you. Your hands splayed out over his chest as you moved, throwing your head back as his hips pushed up in time with your rhythm, filling every possible place within you. You knew you would ache later, but this was definitely worth every bit of it. You looked back at him, feeling the pressure grew exponentially as he grazed over that sweet spot with every movement, but not quite enough to push you over the edge again. He was getting close too, his eyes were closed, and his breathing was languid gasps, fingers digging into your legs as he savoured your tightness over him.

"T-Touch me. Pp-please." You babbled, needing just a little more stimulation to send you over the top again.

His hand released your hip, his thumb finding its way to the sensitive nerve cluster and stroked it gently, pushing you ever closer to the brink. You moaned loudly as the intensity washed over you once again, your nails digging into him as the fire burned through you just as strong as the last time. Your inner walls clamped down on him as you came, making him throw his head back and growl as his own climax enveloped him, his warmth filling you as his body juddered as you continued to move, prolonging every moment. You fell forward and nuzzled his neck as the embers died down, your bodies slick with sweat and both breathing heavily.

"Now I know what I like." You giggled as his hand traced lazy circles down your back. He smiled as he turned his head, planting a soft kiss on your cheek.

"I would say so my dear, I do hope I made up for last time."

You tilted your head up, a slightly puzzled look on your face as you caught his gaze. "There was nothing to make up for, but that was perfect."

"Mmmm, I couldn't agree more. Oh, I nearly forgot, I brought you a gift while I was away."

He kissed you as he rolled you both on your sides, your body jerking in sensitivity as he pulled out and got up to walk to where a box was on his desk. You couldn't help but grin as he went, biting your bottom lip as you watched his muscles roll and tense as he walked across the room. And ooh that ass. You brought your hands up to cover the hot blush that spread across your cheeks as he smirked at your staring. He sat on the edge of the bed as you pulled yourself up, placing the box in your lap gesturing for you to open it.

"I really wasn't expecting anything." 

Your eyebrows raised as you opened the lid to see two leather and metal contraptions, almost identical to the one he wore. You gingerly lifted one out, your fingers tracing over the buckles and engravings, sparking familiarity in you.

"I saw you admiring mine my dear, and I thought maybe you would find them more preferable to your swords?"

You slid the bracer over your wrist and quickly fastened the strap, your wrist instinctively flicking to reveal a sharp blade that glistened in the sunlight.

"They're beautiful, thank you Haytham."

Your chest was pounding as something swam through your mind again, unsure whether to ask or not. It had been bugging you for some time, so taking a deep breath, you decided to pursue it.

"Sir, can I ask you something?"

"Haytham my dear, I think we are beyond formalities by now. Of course you may, I will answer if I am able."

You chewed at your bottom lip again, staring at your wrist. "Haytham. What's an Assassin? Charles called me it just after you left, telling me I didn't belong here. But I don't want to go!"

You sat nervously as you watched every part of him tense up, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the wall.

"It seems that I must speak with Mister Lee for more reasons than I initially realised." 

His voice was low, a little more than a growl as he clenched his jaw in anger. His face softened as he looked back at you, taking your hand and entwining his fingers with yours.

"I will explain (name), but there are matters that I need to attend to first if you could wait just a while?"

You nodded as he kissed your hand and got up, deftly pulling his clothes back on with his usual elegance, throwing you a playful scowl as he pulled a new shirt out of his drawers when he remembered that you had destroyed the one he had been wearing.

"You may stay here if you like, or go outside to test your new accessories? This should not take too long."

He leaned over to brush his lips with yours, before walking out and closing the door quietly behind him. As soon as he left you jumped off the bed and quickly got dressed, before returning to the box, staring at it for a moment. You pulled out the other bracer and bucked it up just as nimbly as the first, flicking your wrists; extracting a retracting the blades a few times. You had no idea what was going on, you couldn't even contemplate a guess, but you found yourself smiling as you ran out the door towards the training grounds.


	4. Chapter 4

Haytham was stood behind the desk in his den, his fists clenched firmly behind his back, staring intently at his second in command.

"Well Charles? Care to explain yourself?"

Lee shifted nervously on the spot, glancing over to Hickey and Johnson on the other side of the room unable to form a reply.

"I asked you to train her, watch over her until I returned, but I come back to see her as she has just been in a bar brawl? On top of that, you called her an Assassin! Just what on earth were you thinking!?"

Kenways anger was more than apparent as he shouted, slamming his fists on his desk.

Charles finally managed to find his voice, "But.... she is an Assassin sir, not even you can deny that." 

Haytham walked over to the cowarding man and grabbed his shirt, glaring at him and gritting his teeth as he spoke. 

"Yes, she has shown traits of being a member of the Creed, but that does not mean she was a part of it. Her skills would be useful to our Order, and if, or when her memories return, that is for me to deal with, not you. Do You Understand?"

Lee nodded furiously as Haytham let him go, and attempted to loosen the cravat that had pulled tightly around his neck.

"I understand Grand Master. As for the bruises, I thought she would have been better at defending herself, given what I'd seen her do before. Maybe her relationship with Thomas has distracted her."

Kenway snapped around to Hickey, his eyes burning as Thomas raised his arms in a defensive gesture.

"Whoa, doncha bring me into this Lee! Tis true I made a play at her sir, but she made it very clear that the only man she wanted, was you. Sorry sir, Ah didn't know."

Lee and Johnson stared at the Grand Master wide-eyed, as the fury on his face was suddenly replaced with a sly smirk. He sat down at his desk, pondering for a moment as he pulled out a quill and parchment, hastily writing before handing it to Lee.

"These are your orders. You are to board The Morrigan with Captain Cormac and set sail for New York tomorrow. You'll meet with Jack Weeks, he will have further instructions for you. Oh, and do not forget to apologise to (name) before you leave. You are dismissed. Mr Hickey, a word if I may?"

Thomas froze to the spot knowing exactly what was coming as the other men hastily walked out of the room, Johnson quickly closing the door behind him.

"So. Can you please tell me exactly what happened between the two of you?" Haytham leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk, his fingertips pressing firmly together, brow furrowing.

Swallowing hard, Thomas turned around to face him, fidgeting and coughing to clear his throat.

"Nuffin' really sir. I was in 'ere waiting for Charles to start our normal meetin and she came in to say hello. Obviously, I was worried a bit, seeing what Lee had done to her, an I must have got my signals mixed up, with her being so nice an all. She is stunnin', so I asked her if she had her eye on anyone, and she was insistent that she did, fer you."

"Thats it?"

"Yessir."

"Very well, dismissed."

Haytham relaxed back into his chair as Thomas left, licking his lips and smiling; still tasting you on them. He had never expected to have feelings for you like this, and the smile dropped from his face as he wondered what might happen if your memories returned to you. Either way, he was going to have to talk to you about it soon, preferably before you pieced things together yourself. His smile soon returned as he got up to look out the window, watching you climb the tree you had nearly fallen out of your first night together.

 

You were sweating profusely as you dragged the training dummy across the grass, placing it under the tree next to the barn. Satisfied with its position you lept up and scaled the giant elm, balancing on the same branch as before. Looking down to where your target was, you began to feel nervous when realised it was a good seventy feet below you. Taking a deep breath you leapt off the branch, flicking your wrist to extend your new blade as you descended and landed smoothly on top of the dummy, blade buried deep into its back. You smiled brightly as you turned to see Haytham walking towards you, with what could only be described as a look of adoration. He pulled you towards him, tucking your hair behind your ear as he kissed you briefly.

"Nicely done my dear. I take it you are pleased with your new weapons then?"

You bit your lip as you grinned and nodded, looking over to the fallen dummy on the ground.

"Very much so, and thank you again."

"You are more than welcome. I was just wondering if you would like to join me on a small errand to the market? There's something I need to see, and then we can have our talk."

"Of course!" You blurted ecstatically.

You had only left the estate twice since you had been here, and the thought of going out made you giddy with excitement. Haytham chuckled at your enthusiasm and wrapped his arms tightly around you as he let out a deep sigh. He hoped that this wasn't the last time he would get to hold you like this, only the events over the next few hours would give him his answer. He kissed the top of your head as he pulled back to look at you once again.

"Go and get yourself cleaned up, I will meet you at the front in twenty minutes."

You kissed him quickly on the cheek, before running back to the house to change your clothes.

 

You struggled to keep up with Kenways brisk pace as you walked through the streets of Boston, heading towards the market. It was busier than you remembered, the bustle of people going about their day to day activities and shopping made for a delightful sight. The smell of freshly baked bread, and the wagon of fish that passed by tickled your nose as you made your way to the centre of the stalls. You watched as you saw Haytham glance around, his gaze finally stopping as he had obviously found what he was looking for. He had been unusually quiet on the walk over here, and it had unnerved you a little. He turned his attention to you, a weary smile adorning his face as his hand stroked your cheek.

"You see that man over there my dear?"

You turned your head to where he pointed to your far right, to see a man amongst the crowd dressed in an odd orange uniform.

"He is a thief, and he is pickpocketing that old lady as we speak. I would like you to catch him."

You had little time to wonder why he would ask such an odd request, as the uniformed man spotted you staring at him and turned on his heel, running away. You immediately broke into a sprint, Haytham following close behind as you chased the man through the busy streets. You quickly realised you were losing ground, as the started onlookers got in your way; obscuring your view. You furiously looked around and, headed towards a house that had a pulley running up the side of it. Without a second thought, you caught hold of the rope and cut through it with your hidden blade, the weight dropping quickly and hoisting you to the rooftops. Your boots clattered on the tiles as you ran; deftly avoiding the chimneys, unaware of Haytham watching you intently from the ground. You looked down to see that you had passed the thief two streets ago, so you perched on the edge of the roof, waiting for him to catch up.

He stopped just below you looking around just as your vision clouded again, lighting him up in a deep red glow. Without a second thought, you jumped down, landing on his back and sinking your blade deep into his neck. Your eyes widened in horror as Haytham caught up to you, grabbing your hand and pulling you away as your gaze lingered over the now dead man, a nearby woman screaming. He didn't let go until you reached the Green Dragon tavern, leading you inside and headed up the stairs, sitting you at the first chair he came across at the table where Johnson was sitting.

"I think. I need a drink......." You managed at last in a whisper.

Haytham pulled up another chair to sit in front of you, gesturing to Johnson who immediately jumped up and went downstairs to the bar. He took your hands into his, gently stroking your palms with his thumbs, his head lowered.

"Haytham, what's going on? I'm scared." 

You dropped his hand for a moment to brush away a tear that rolled down your cheek looking up as Johnson came back with a bottle of rum and poured you a generous slosh, which you took gratefully and knocked it back in one swallow. He poured again, and you drank the next just as fast, holding up your tankard for more. Kenway finally looked up at you, but you couldn't distinguish the look on his face. A cross between sadness, and anguish maybe? But in this dim light, you couldn't tell.

"I suppose I best start in telling you who I am my dear. I am the Grand Master of the Templar order, leader of the Colonial Rite. Our organisation seeks to create a new world order, peace between all people. My sworn enemies are the Assassin Brotherhood, who believe free will is of the utmost importance and will kill anyone in their way of them trying to achieve it. Are you following so far?"

You nodded gently as you took his words in, sounding somewhat vaguely familiar.

"Since finding you, you have demonstrated many of the traits that the Assassin's have. What is known as Eagle Vision, the ability to have extreme focus and see things that others cannot. Your skills with a hidden blade, your deftness in stealth and attacking. I recognise them all as I have them too. My father was an Assassin."

His voice was now merely a whisper as he explained, his hands holding yours more tightly as he went on.

"I know I should have told you sooner, but I wasn't sure if you were part of the Brotherhood or not, and with your memories gone there was no way of telling, so I left the matter alone. But as the days passed my feelings for you grew, and it became harder to approach you about it."

You took a deep breath, somewhat understanding what he was saying to you. You pulled your hand from his and lifted his chin so that you could look deep into his eyes.

"Assassins, Templars, sounds all a bit too cloak and dagger for my liking. All I know is, right at this moment in time, I am happy to be by your side."

He jumped up and kissed you deeply, every bit of worry you had melting away. You were startled at the sound of Johnson clearing his throat; you had completely forgotten he was even there. Plucking Haytham's hat from his head and placing it on your own, you turned to face the bearded man, beaming wildly. 

"Come now William, pour our Grand Master a drink, don't want him to feel left out."

You giggled as Haytham pulled you into his lap, his hand trailing up and down your back and making you shudder. You winked at him as you handed him a tankard, watching him relax for the first time since you met.

 

 

"So.... whats the deal with Charles?" You pushed your now empty mug towards William again.

"Ah, our lovely Mister Lee." William chuckled, grabbing the now nearly empty bottle and tipped its remaining contents into your tankard, pushing it back to you.

"He just takes his job very seriously, he's not too bad once you get to know him. And careful dear, any more of that and our Grand Master will be having his wicked way with you."

You bit your lip as Haythams fingers stroked your thigh in agreement.

"Well, I'd rather not get to know him, as you said, he's a pompous git." 

You ground your hips into Kenways lap in retaliation, making him hiss and dig his fingers into your leg as William threw back his head in laughter. You turned around and kissed your new lover, before sashaying downstairs to buy another round of drinks.

Pushing your way through the drunken crowd of soldiers and sailors, you finally made it to the barkeep and asked for another bottle. You scowled as you felt yet another random person grab your rear, your fists clenching in annoyance. You looked around as you threw the barkeep a coin, the whole establishment going quiet and a path opening clear for you towards the stairs. Looking upwards to see what everyone was staring at, your eyes landed on Haytham who was holding on tightly to the rail and glaring at everyone down below. Picking up the bottle, you walked back up the steps, your mouth agast in disbelief. The commotion of the tavern resumed as you placed the bottle on the table, throwing William a questioning glance. He chuckled as you wrapped your arms around Haythams waist, pressing up firmly against his back.

"You have got to tell me how you did that!" You grinned as he turned to face you, a sly smile on his lips.

"A question for another day my dear. Shall we retire? You must be tired after today's events."

You raised an eyebrow as you nodded, and followed him towards one of the nearby vacant rooms.

"So, all you have to do is stare, and everyone stops what they're doing? Are they afraid of you?"

You watched him place his hat on the desk before slumping into the chair, rubbing his chin. His eyes followed you thoughtfully as you shrugged off your coat and boots, pausing for a moment to rub a smudge of blood off your wrist with the cuff of your shirt. He was surprised how what you had done earlier hadn't seemed to faze you, after your initial shock you had appeared to have brushed it off.

"My part in our organisation grants me a great deal of power my dear, so yes, people are afraid I suppose. The only question I need to ask is, are you?"

You walked over to where he was sat and straddled over him, cupping his face in your hands and kissing him deeply. You pulled away; breathing slightly heavy, draping your arms over his shoulders.

"No. I am definitely not afraid of you. Although....."

Your voice trailed off as the corner of your mouth twitched up in a smile, a naughty idea running through your head.

"You are supposedly my mortal enemy, perhaps its best I take steps to ensure my safety?"

A wicked look spread across your face as you undid the ribbon around his neck, pushing his arms behind the chair as you got up and bound his wrists together.

"(name), I would never cause you any harm. Hopefully I have proven that so far."

His eyes darkened as you sat over him again, your hips pushing down and rubbing up against his already semi-hard length. He inhaled sharply as your finger traced his lips, and over his jaw, your mouth following closely behind with fleeting kisses. You sat back as you felt him strain against the binds, pushing his hips up in desperate need for harder contact. Struggling to steady your breath, your hands ran over his chest, plucking the buttons of his jacket open one by one, pushing it open to reveal his linen shirt. You repeated the same motion but slower this time, your nails grazing his chest making him shudder beneath you. A deep moan passed his lips as you continued to wriggle in his lap, pushing your clit hard against his now solid cock, making your toes curl as tendrils of pleasure began to flow through your body.

"Please (name), untie me.." his voice was now hoarse, drenched in desire.

"Now why would I do that? You found out what I liked, so I want to do the same in return." 

Your mouth found his again, tongue swimming over his as your hands dropped to his lap, fingers running over the clothed length before squeezing him firmly, making him jerk at your touch. He let out a whimper as you pulled his trousers open and slid your hand in, easing his heated erection free from its confines. Moving down off him, you positioned yourself on your knees between his legs; watching as his head rolled forward, his eyes pleading as you stroked his velvety tip and rubbed the glistening beads of precum down his shaft.

You heard him exclaim and his legs began to shake as your tongue darted out, licking him slowly around his head before plunging your mouth down, stopping just before he hit the back of your throat. Looking up to make sure he was watching you, you brought one hand up and wrapped it firmly around his base, your saliva making it easy to glide up and down in time with the bobbing of your head. Your other hand moved to the front of your own pants, unfastening them quickly and pushing them down, your fingers slipping between your dripping folds and rubbing the sensitive bundle of nerves frantically. The chair groaned as Haytham dug his heels into the floor and his legs tensed up, panting as he watched you work over you both.

"For the love of god.... please...."

You could feel him straining against you now as you moved faster, tongue pressing against the underside of him as you sucked, your fingers rapidly flicking over your swollen clit as you approached your climax. A small whimper passed your lips as your body jerked as the pleasure unfurled through you, not strongly, but enough to sate your desire for now. You had to release your mouth from over him to catch your breath slightly, so you moved your hand up to replace it, your thumb rubbing the underside of his tip as not to let any of his pleasure die down.

All of a sudden you heard a ripping sound, then strong hands slipped under your arms and pulled you up fiercely. You kicked away your trousers that had pooled around your ankles as they fell, Haytham wasting no time shrugging off his clothes as he kissed you passionately, sucking the air from your lungs. His hands curved around the backs of your legs and lifted you up high, impaling you with his throbbing cock as he lowered you down, your arms and legs wrapping around him tightly. You didn't realise just how strong he was as he moved you up against him, sliding your tight walls over his heat as if you weighed nothing.

Your mouth dropped to his shoulder, kissing and licking lustfully; biting down hard as your back thudded into the wall with his pace quickening, fingers digging into your thighs that were sure to leave bruises. A deep growl rose from his chest as your nails clawed at his back, your second orgasm fast approaching breaking point. You threw your head back and moaned loudly, every muscle in your body tensing up as your climax washed over you, everything going dark for a moment as your body slumped against his. His followed quickly as you trembled around him, his mindless thrusting slowing as his head fell to your neck, mouth trailing lazy kisses as he tried to catch his breath.

 

He lowered you down gently, holding you tight as your legs wobbled when they hit firm ground again. Once you had gained your footing, he kicked off his boots and shed his trousers before pulling your now sweat-soaked shirt up and over your head, dropping it to the floor. Taking your hand and leading you to the bed, he pushed the covers down and got in, pulling you into his arms before grabbing the blanket up over you both. You sighed deeply as you buried your face into his chest, his fingers twining through your hair before lifting your chin, so your eyes met his.

"I don't think you realise what you have done to me, my dear." He looked nervous for a moment as his thumb brushed over your lips, his other arm tightening around you. "You are the one with the power, not me. I would do anything you ask of me. I'm afraid of losing you if your memories returned."

His eyes closed as you lifted your head and gave him a soft kiss, your hand reaching up to push a strand of hair off his forehead.

"Haytham. I'm not going anywhere. Even if my memories did return, they couldn't change the way I feel about you." 

His body relaxed against you, his eyes half-lidded as he smiled softly.

"I was supposed to travel to New York again tomorrow, but I was sending Charles in my place as punishment. If you would like, we could go together?"

You pretended to think about it for a moment, tapping your chin with your finger as you grinned at him.

"Of course I'll go with you."

"It's settled then, we leave in the morning."

You closed your eyes as you snuggled into him, exhaustion finally overwhelming you into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

You stood at the docks, the cold air whipping around you as you inhaled deeply. Last night you had been looking forward to taking a little excursion, but now you fidgeted as nerves began to kick in. Last time you were on a ship they weren't under the best of circumstances. You unknowingly shivered as you remembered being tied up, cold and wet, stuffed in some kind of cage in the cargo hold. Your captors had repeatedly beat you like it was some game, taking turns to see who could make you cry out first. You were jumped out of your thoughts as you felt Haythams hand on the small of your back, brow furrowing as he studied your expression.

"Is everything alright my dear?

You stood for a moment, chewing your bottom lip. "Yes, it's just. Well, last time I was on a ship, it wasn't exactly a great experience."

Haytham sighed and nodded, taking one of your hands in his and squeezing tightly. "No, it wasn't. But you are here with me now, and I will not let anything like that happen again. Now come, it's time to depart."

Your frown disappeared and was replaced with a smile as you followed him onto the docks, and up a ramp leading onto The Morrigan. Heading up the deck to the wheel, you saw two men standing there deep in discussion. One tall with a large hat and a long brown coat, the other with dark hair, a long scar over his right eyebrow and cheek, dressed in black and red. The dark haired man looked up first, scratching his head with a somewhat puzzled look on his face.

"Master Kenway? I wasn't expecting you, sir?"

"There has been a change of plans Shay, I will be going with you after all. This is (name), she will be accompanying us also. (Name) this is Captain Shay Cormac, and his first mate, Christopher Gist."

You smiled politely as the two men acknowledged you, returning their focus to Kenway again, but you couldn't help but notice that the Captain kept flicking his eyes towards you.

"Of course sir, but I'm afraid I only have one quarter available, as I was only expecting Mister Lee."

You watched the corner of Kenways mouth twitch, as you slyly poked the back of his leg suggestively.

"That will be fine Captain, I understand as it is short notice. I am not opposed to sharing if you aren't my dear?"

You only just managed to suppress your smile as you lowered your head and shook it, raising your eyebrows when you suddenly felt like you were being stared at.

"Grand, now that's sorted, lets set sail, shall we! Gist, would ya mind showing Master Kenway and the lady to their quarters?"

"Of course Captain! If you would follow me." 

You couldn't help but smile as Gist grinned at you and bounded down the steps, gesturing for you to follow him.

"You go on ahead, my dear. I wish to speak with the captain first."

You nodded and walked alongside the first mate; who was rambling on about the ships new cannons so quickly you could barely make out a single word he was saying. You pushed your way through the bustling sailors, and ventured down below deck through the crews sleeping quarters, stopping as you reached a small room at the back.

"....aaaand this is where you'll be staying. It's small, but it should have everything you need."

You walked into the room, and it was indeed small. A chest and desk with a stool on the left side, and a single bed on the right that would barely fit one person. You smirked as you imagined you and Haytham trying to squeeze into such a cramped space, grateful that the trip was only a few days.

"Thank you, Christopher is it?"

"That's me, dear! If there's anything else, just ask. I best be heading back up, so I will leave you to it."

You grinned as he plodded away, his jovialness proving to be quite contagious. You dropped onto the bed, shuffling to try and get comfortable on the lumpy mattress and closed your eyes, trying to push the unnerving returning thoughts out of your head.

\-----------------------------

Haytham stood leaning against the rail watching as Shay cleanly sailed the Morrigan out of the port, ordering his men to raise mains as they headed out into the Atlantic.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about Master Kenway?" He handed the wheel to Gist and walked over to stand next to Haytham.

"The young woman who I brought with me captain, do you recognise her at all?" 

Shays brow furrowed for a moment, and scratched his cheek as he thought. "No sir, don't recall meeting her before, an that's definitely not a face that I could forget quickly. Why d'ya ask?"

"A pirate ship foolishly tried attacking as I was travelling back from England some months ago. I found her being held captive below decks, so I freed her, naturally. I have recently found out that she is, or at least was, an Assassin but has no recollection of it."

Shay looked even more confused, as he looked over to his first mate, who shook his head confirming that he didn't know you either.

"Perhaps she is a spy sir? Pretending to be a captive to infiltrate the order?"

Haythams face snapped to look at the captain, glaring intently and folding his arms over his chest in annoyance.

"Do you think me so careless to fall for such a ruse?! I had the best doctors in Boston examine her, and they confirmed that the injury she had sustained to her head would indeed cause her to forget."

Cormac jumped, taken aback at Kenways outrage as his suggestion.

"I meant no disrespect sir, well it just sounds like something the Assassin's would attempt, and she looks like the perfect person to send."

Haytham unclenched his fists and relaxed slightly, Shays explanation making sense. He of course, made the same conclusion in the beginning but dismissed it quickly as he realised you were telling the truth.

"I suppose you are right Captain. Now, shall we discuss our plans for dealing with the criminal gangs that are plaguing New York?"

Shay nodded and descended the stairs, leading the way to his cabin.

"Oh and Captain? Keep your eyes to yourself, she is spoken for."

 

\---------------------------

 

You awoke some hours later, stretching out the knots in your back that the uncomfortable bed had caused. Looking out of the small porthole you realised it was nearly night, so you jumped up and hastily made your way to the top deck. Eventually finding your way up to the wheel and sitting on the steps, you were greeted by Gist, beaming down at you.

"There you are, sleep well?"

You tried to hide your wince as you massaged your neck, feigning a smile as you looked around. Gist chuckled as he turned his attention back to the sea, manoeuvring around a piece of debris floating in the water.

"Yes, unfortunately the beds aren't too comfortable, but you get used to them eventually."

"Christopher, can I ask why we're going to New York? I only found out I was coming last night and forgot to ask."

He shouted and waved for the second mate to relieve him, before joining you on the top step.

"Little last minute trip eh? The Assassins have set up many hideouts throughout New York, employing thugs and villains who are terrorising the people. We're on our way to try and stop them."

"Hmmm, I see. I would like to try and help, if I can?"

 

He got up and extended his hand, which you took; pulling yourself up beside him.

"That would be up to Master Kenway dear, although from what I've discovered you might not be quite ready? I heard that you couldn't remember some things?"

"You've been talking about me? I'm flattered. It is true that I've lost most of my memories, but I still remember my name, the fact I like the colour blue, things like that. I definitely remember that I can take care of myself."

Gist threw his head back and laughed, gesturing for you to take his arm to lead you back down the deck.

"I have no doubt whatsoever! Come, let's get something to eat shall we? You must be famished."

You began giggling yourself just as your stomach growled at the thought of food, setting Christopher's bellowing laugh off again.

You made your way down to the galley, and sat at a large table that was chained to the ceiling. Gist asked the cook to prepare something before sitting across from you, handing you a tin mug and placing a bottle of rum on the table and started chatting in his fast pace again. You so were engrossed listening to Gists story of how Shay saved him from the hangman's noose, you yelped when a hand suddenly squeezed your shoulder. Haytham chuckled as he pulled a stool out to sit next to you at the table, Shay following closely behind.

"I swear Gist, that story gets more exaggerated every time you tell it! Makin me sound like a damn martyr or something."  
Shay punched him in the arm as he swiped the bottle of rum from him, taking a deep swallow as he again, glanced at you out of the corner of his eye.

"Well it is true captain, I would have been for the worms had you not shot that rope."

"Well, all in a days work I suppose! Anyway love, how are you enjoying it aboard my ship?"

You sat back in your chair, taking another sip of your drink trying to hide your smile as Haythams fingers tickled the inside of your thigh.

"She is indeed a fine ship Captain Cormac, and Mr Gist here has provided excellent company."

"Chewin your ear off don't ya mean lass?"

You burst out giggling as Gist crossed his arms and pouted in mock hurt.

"Well yes, a bit of that too! Have you boys finished making your plans?" You turned your attention to Haytham, hoping he would drop some kind of hint about what they were actually planning to do, but unfortunately, this was not the case.

"We have indeed my dear, and there is a lot of work to be done. Now, shall we eat?"

You dined on a simple meal of meat and potatoes, Gist taking up much of the conversation with tales of his adventures, making you laugh until your ribs hurt. After a vast quantity of rum had been consumed you decided that you had better be off to bed; dragging Haytham with you, for what you assumed would be a very sleepless night given the size of your quarters. It took several attempts and a lot of shifting about before you both managed to squeeze onto the tiny bed in a semi-comfortable position, his arms wrapped tightly around you with your back to his chest. After a few minutes of staring at the wall, you realised that slumber was not going to come easy.

"Haytham? Are you still awake?"

"Mmmm. I doubt anybody could sleep in this infernal bed, my dear."

Giggling, you felt his arms tighten even more around you as your hand grabbed the side, nearly falling out.

"I've decided I want to help. In New York, with the Assassins."

You felt his body stiffen behind you, no longer feeling his breath on your neck. After what seemed like forever he let out a deep sigh, his thumbs tracing circles on your stomach.

"You wish to join the Order then?"

"I'm not sure about that, but if the Assassin's are scaring and hurting people, then they need be stopped."

"Yes, they do. Very well, you can help. We will go over the details in the morning."

You tried to turn to kiss him, but ended up crashing to the floor instead. As you both burst out laughing Haytham picked up the pillow and blanket and laid on the floor next to you, pulling you on top of him.

 

 

The next morning, you, Gist, Haytham and Shay were in the captains' cabin, filling you in on the details of what was to happen in New York.

"Gas??!" Your face filled with horror, eyes darting between Haytham and Shay, hoping that you had heard wrong.

"Aye lass, poisonous gas. From what we've heard, the Assassin's are planning to use it on the people of New York."

You slumped into the nearby chair, burying your face in your hands and wondering if you were ever a part of such a thing. Haytham knelt before you, tilting your chin up and used his thumb to wipe away the small tear that rolled down your cheek.

"We will stop them, my dear."

You nodded and turned to Shay as he continued to explain. "We're meeting with George Munroe when we dock, he's gonna give us the location of where the gas is, and we will destroy it before they have a chance to use it."

Taking a deep breath, you stood up and pulled your coat straight, turning to face all three men. You felt extremely guilty at the thought that you were maybe once associated with such people.

"I will do everything I possibly can to help, and make sure that they don't hurt anybody."

 

 

Thankfully it only took two more days to reach New York, as lovely as the ship and crew were you were happy to be on dry land again. Walking along the docks, you took in your surroundings, pace slowing; eventually stopping as you reached just past the market stalls.

"Watch it!" A woman whose arms were filled with linen screamed at you as you bumped into her. 

Haytham, who was further behind talking to Shay, ran over to you and caught your arm, pulling you out of the path of a speeding horse and carriage just in time.

"(Name), whats the matter?!"

"I know this place....."

Haytham stared at you wide-eyed, his hands holding your arms tightly as you snapped out of your daze.

"Greenwich? You remember?!"

"Well - I, no. But I do know I've been here before. Everything seems, so familiar."

"I see. We have a few hours before we meet Mister Munroe, we shall walk the long way to our headquarters, maybe something you see will help."

You smiled as you took his arm, walking slowly as your eyes darted around furiously over the streets and houses, looking for anything that might trigger a memory. You felt disheartened as you finally reached the Templar headquarters, your walk doing nothing to help break down the foggy wall. You were surprised as you walked into the estate, the manor and gardens almost identical to the one back in Boston.

"Ah, Master Kenway! I hope you had a good trip? Who might this enchanting lady be?" 

You were greeted by a tall, lithe man who seemed to be of African heritage, peeking over a pair of spectacles at you.

"It wasn't completely unpleasant Mister Weeks. (Name), this is Jack Weeks, a member of our order. Jack, this is (name), my, companion shall we say?"

Haytham wrapped his arm around your waist protectively as you extended your hand, Weeks kissing your knuckles with a deep bow.

"It's a pleasure Mister Weeks."

"Jack to you my dear, and believe me the pleasure is all mine."

Weeks stood abruptly, pushing his glasses back up on his nose as Haytham cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Captain Cormac and Colonel Munroe are waiting in the den for you, Grand Master."

You followed Kenway into the den, to see Shay and an older gentleman in military clothing sitting down in front of the desk. They both stood up as you walked in, the captain smiling at you, the other man; who you guessed was George Munroe, barely even noticed you were there. Haytham shook Munroe's hand and sat down at his desk, gesturing for you to stand beside him. George raised an eyebrow as he finally glanced at you and sat down as he spoke.

"Good to see you again Master Kenway. You too (name), I'm sorry to hear about your father, tragic way to die."

Haytham and Cormac immediately jumped up as you froze, staring at Munroe wide-eyed, mouth aghast.

"Shay, take her outside."

"Wait! What?!! No!"

You were practically screaming as Shay dragged outside into the garden, wrapping his arms around you tightly.

"Lass calm down. Let Kenway fill him in, and I'm sure he will talk to you."

"But he knows who I am!"

His grasp loosened around you slightly, enough so you could look pleadingly at him, tears flowing free.

"Come now love, you don't want Master Kenway seein' you like this now do ya?"

You managed to stifle a sob, taking a deep breath as he gently wiped your face with the cuff of his jacket, giving you a lopsided smile.

"No, I suppose not."

You spun around quickly when Haytham opened the door, throwing yourself into his arms and watching the Colonel intently as he followed out.

"I'm dreadfully sorry (name), Master Kenway has just explained your situation to me. That must have been a bit of a shock to you. Come, I will tell you everything I know."

Leading you back inside, Kenway and Munroe sat back in their seats, Shay sitting you down in his so you could face the man who could reveal something about your past.

"Well, I can't say I know much about you (name), I only met you once about a year ago. But I did know your father. He was an assassin, but began working with me after your mother was killed some time ago."

You shuffled to the edge of your seat and gestured for him to continue, paying no attention to anything other than the words that were coming out of the man's mouth.

"He was still working for them, but he was giving me information of their future plans and whereabouts. You too wore the creed insignia, but you assured me that your allegiance lay with your father."

You leaned forward and began rubbing your temples, trying to process this new information. There were so many pieces missing, but you decided to accept what he was saying, for now. You looked up at Haytham; whose eyes had not left you since you came back in, giving him a soft smile.

"So it looks like I'm supposed to be working with you after all. Mister Munroe, please. Just how did my father die?"

"Pirates sunk the ship he was on some four months ago, returning from Europe after attempting to gain vital information that would help our order. Terrible way for a such a brave man to go."

It couldn't have been coincidence, the timings matched up almost perfectly. You were on that boat together, helping your father.

"Haytham, what happened to the ship you found me on?"

He smiled at you, picking up on what you were wondering instantly.

"The ship, and everything aboard it aside from yourself are no longer with us my dear."

You stood up with resolve and determination, straightening you coat and walked over to stand beside Haytham.

"Good. Now, lets discuss how to stop these criminals shall we."


	6. Chapter 6

After several hours of planning and strategising, it was decided that yourself and Captain Cormac would be the ones to infiltrate the poison factory - much to Kenways displeasure. Once everyone had left, you were sat on the edge of the desk watching Haytham pace in front of you, scowling.

"I don't want you to go. It's too dangerous!"

"Haytham, please. I want to this, and I need to do this."

He dropped to his knees in front of you and laid his head on your lap, sighing before looking back up at you; his eyes pleading.

"But you aren't even part of our order, and you are still not fully trained."

You pulled him back up and kissed him briefly before taking his hands, squeezing them tightly, biting your lip in thought. You had already come this far, and with what you had learned today, you were adamant about what you wanted to do next.

"Then I will join your Order. It seems that I was on my way to becoming a Templar anyway, and with me being with you and wanting to help we might as well make it official."

"You are sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I told you before, I want to stay by your side."

He grabbed you and kissed you hard, wrapping his arms around you so tightly you could barely breathe. You had to pinch his leg to get him to let go, laughing as you managed to fill your lungs with air again.

"Now that's settled, can we please get some dinner? I'm starving. Plus I could use a bath, I don't think the smell of fish suits me."

He chuckled as he put his nose to your neck and inhaled deeply. "You smell just as divine as always my dear, but I will get the maid to draw you a bath. I will also speak to the others about your inauguration."

 

 

You weren't quite sure how you managed it, but you had convinced Haytham to join you in the bath, him persistently saying it was too small. But after your fumblings about on the Morrigans bed, getting you both in proved to be quite easy. You sighed as you laid back on his chest, letting the lavender scented water soothe out your aches.

"So, what will happen at this initiation then?"

"Well I will have to gather the other members of the order first, and then there will be a small ceremony in where you will vow to uphold and live by the rules of the Templar order."

You twitched slightly as the oily circles Haytham was tracing over your shoulders started to move lower.

"That's it? Sounds easy enough."

You turned your head slightly as you felt him tense up behind you, taking a deep breath.

"That's not everything. After the ceremony, I will be presenting you with something..... a ring."

Your heart began to pound as you looked down to his left hand to see a silver ring, with a red cross engraved on it.

"You mean like yours?"

"Yes, and no..."

His voice trailed off as he tilted your chin up to look into your eyes, a mix of nervousness and apprehension on his face. You raised your hand and caressed his cheek, your gaze never faltering. You finally managed to speak, your voice barely a whisper.

"I will wear it proudly."

He finally let out the breath he was holding and lowered his head to yours, kissing you softly. Your skin began to tingle as the tips of his fingers stroked over your neck, working over your shoulders, skimming the tops of your soft mounds. 

A small moan passed your lips when he cupped your breasts, gently kneading, his thumbs brushing delicately over the peaks making them pebble and stiffen instantly. Heartbeat rising faster, every part of you began to melt against him under his caresses, making you shudder. This was so different from his usual touch; which was sometimes borderline frantic, this was more intimate, more adoring, and you basked in every drop.

Your breath became little whimpers as his hands continued down over your stomach and hips, fingers delving into every crevice, slowly massaging every bit of you he could reach not once breaking his mouth away from you. A low growl erupted from deep within his chest as he could feel you trembling against him, your hands raking over his thighs, making him twitch involuntarily.

His hands gently grasped your hips, sliding you up and sinking himself deep inside you, the oils heightening every single sensation that made you both quiver. He wrapped his arms around you as your bodies slipped against each other, the water lapping over you that mimicked the little waves of pleasure that surged through your body with every thrust.  
His mouth finally broke away from yours as he buried his head in your neck, his breathing becoming shallow gasps as he lightly nibbled on that sweet spot just above your shoulder that made the ball of pleasure growing within you intensify. Reaching down in between your legs, his fingers ghosted over your throbbing nub, making your back arch and your walls tighten gloriously around him, eliciting a loud gasp against your neck. 

You reached up behind his head, entwining your fingers through his hair, softly moaning against his cheek as the intense pleasure building within you was nearly hitting its peak. He let out a groan and tightened his grip as his hips began to jerk against you, the heat that flooded you pushing you to the most intense climax that you had ever experienced. You cried out his name as wave after wave of orgasmic fire flowed over you that left you shaking over him.

You both just laid there breathing heavily until the water ran cold, eventually getting out and getting into bed, arms and legs wrapping around each other as you tucked up against his chest under his chin. You felt the breaths against your hair becoming slow and even as you felt tiredness sink its claws in you.

"Haytham... I....." you whispered so quietly you barely even heard yourself. 

You were wondering whether to continue or not as you almost dozed off, when you suddenly felt his arms tighten around you slightly.

"And I you (name)"

 

 

You met with Shay the next morning, pushing past the bustle of the people smiling as you approached him.

"Morning lass, everything okay?" He patted your arm with a look of concern in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine now... What in gods name is that?!"

You pointed to a large contraption strapped to Shays back, that looked a lot like a formidable gun. He beamed at you as he patted it over his shoulder, before showing you some of what looked like smoke bombs attached to his belt.

"A new toy I managed to acquire from a former acquaintance of mine. It launches these bombs that should be more than enough to destroy the tanks containing the gas."

"Impressive." You couldn't help but admire it as your fingers traced over the barrel.

"Hopefully it does the trick. Oh, you might be needing this lass." 

You moved your hair out of the way as he placed a piece of tightly woven cloth high up around your neck, securing it firmly.

"It'll protect us from the gas, always keep it up when we get there, don't wanna be breathing any of it in when we blow the place up now do we! An gotta say, love, you look good in black."

You blushed at the compliment as you saw his eyes flicker over you in approval. You looked down at the new coat Haytham had given you this morning, soft black leather similar to the captains, but trimmed with navy blue. It was slightly looser fitting than your usual coat, and the deep splits down the sides would enable you to move more freely throughout your impending mission.

Checking you had everything you needed, you made your way through the busy streets to the abandoned brewery where the factory was located. You crouched next to Shay on the edge of the rooftop, scouting the factory below.

"There are three supplies that I've been told, two to the left, and one to the far right. I'll take these here, you make your way round to the last." 

You nodded as you pulled up your mask, watching him leap gracefully to the ground and hide behind a wall. You clamoured on the rooftops, keeping hidden from the numerous gang members patrolling below until you saw a large steel tank tucked in the corner of a cordened off part of the yard. You looked over the ledge to see two armed thugs below you; there was no way you could get to the tank without being seen. Flicking out your hidden blades, you were just about to leap down when a massive explosion erupted, making the guards run off to see what was happening.

You smiled under your mask as you looked to your left, and saw a huge black and green cloud billow up into the sky. You knew you had to be quick now; the other members would be searching the base for intruders. Jumping down facing the tank, you realised that you didn't have anything to blow it up with. Looking around furiously, you spotted a stack of small gunpowder kegs against a nearby wall. Perfect, that will do just nicely. Quickly placing two, and then a third for good measure underneath the tank, you pulled out your flints and clashed them together until a spark ignited the fuse.

You ran across the yard as the kegs exploded, just managing to keep just ahead of the noxious green smoke, jumping on a stack of crates and scaling the wall back to the rooftops. You heard the third and final explosion, signalling for you to get out of the factory as quickly as possible. Just as you landed on the street below, you saw Shay climb down, pulling down his mask as he walked over to you.

"Nice bit of work for today! That should stop them for a while at least. How did you manage to blow up that tank lass? Realised you didn't have anything as I got to the first!"

You pulled down your own mask and giggled, putting your hands on your hips as you smirked.

"Powder kegs. Bit stupid of them to have them lying about like that with all that gas."

You clapped your hand to your neck as Shay threw his head back laughing as a sharp sting ran down your throat. You pulled out a very thin, needle-like piece of metal as you looked up, just in time to see a glimmer of a person jump off the roof above. You clamped your head in your hands as the most intense headache ravaged you, followed by a deep burning rage flowing through your blood. You looked up to see a man shouting at you, but you couldn't hear him; the pounding in your ears blocking him out. Who was this man? He had his swords drawn looking about furiously, his gaze finally settling on you. Without a second thought, you pulled your blades and lunged out, cutting through his black coat and into his arm.

A look of horror washed over his face, then determination as he dropped his swords and advanced towards you quickly. You lashed out again, but he was faster than you, ducking under your blades and sliding past you until he stood up at your back, grabbing hold of you tight. You bent over, dropping your shoulder low, hurling the man over your back and throwing him to the floor. Quickly turning around, you began to run, jumping onto the older man who got in your way and stabbing him in the back. You felt another sharp pain in your neck and brushed away another needle as your head went dizzy, slumping onto the floor. The last thing you saw was the man in black standing over you, everything going dark as you fell unconscious.

 

 

You sat up in a jerk as something substantial hit the other side of the wall of the room you were in. Your head still pounding, you looked around to see you were in Kenways room, back at the headquarters. You rubbed your temples as you strained to hear the yelling voices outside of the door over the top of the ringing in your ears.

"I had no choice, sir! It was a berserk dart, I had to do something! She killed an innocent man, she could have killed me!"

"So you decided to sedate her, on top of that poison??!! You could have killed her!"

You jumped as another thud came from the wall.

"It was either that, or I knocked her out. An under the circumstances I thought that not the best option. Sir. Plus, she's a lot stronger than she looks."

Haytham came barging through the door, slamming it behind him with his face wrought with anger and guilt. He immediately sat down on the bed next to you once he saw you awake, grasping hold of your hands tightly.

"I should not have let you go."

You scrunched up your face in pain, but fought your way through it as you looked up to speak.

"You can't protect me from everything, especially if I'm to join the Order. What happened anyway?"

He sighed as he cupped your chin in his hand, his thumb caressing your cheek gently.

"I suppose you are right my dear. I just can't imagine what I would do if I lost you. You were poisoned, Shay found a berserk dart near where you were standing. Did you happen to see anyone?"

You rubbed your eyes trying to concentrate, but the throbbing of your head made it near impossible.

"I'm not sure, its all a bit of a blur. I think I saw someone on the roof, but I have no idea who it was. Why?"

"Darts such as those are a favourite of the assassins, I fear there may be more of them here than we expected. Now, get some more rest, the effects will wear off soon." 

He kissed your forehead gently as he got up to close the curtains and left quietly. You slumped back down onto the bed, holding your head in your hands as you attempted to sleep through the raging pain.

 

 

 

You were awoken again by the unmistakable click of the window opening, the slight breeze making the curtains furl. You stayed perfectly still as you heard two very soft, but distinctive thuds hit the floor, but the room was so poorly lit you couldn't see anything. Your heart was beating so fast; adrenaline pumping through you, you closed your eyes tight and began to concentrate. Opening them again, the room started to come into extreme focus, and you could see two ghostly red figures behind the curtain. Trying to keep your breath calm, you let your lids droop to nearly closing, watching the hooded figures intently as they silently crept towards you.

When the first finally stopped about a foot away from the bed, you flicked out your blade and lunged up, sinking it to the hilt in his chest and killing him instantly. The noise from his gargled gasps alerted the second, who was quickly ascending on you, his own blades drawn. With all of your strength, you pushed the dead body towards him, making him falter just long enough for you to roll out of bed and run around the other side, giving you more space in which to defend yourself. You kicked out just as he descended on you, catching him square in the stomach knocking the wind out of him, giving you enough time to pull the large case straight down on top of him. 

You felt a hand grab your ankle as you tried to run past, pulling you to the floor as he got to his knees, pushing the case off himself. You kicked him in the head as you scrambled to get up, making his grip falter and allow you to pull free. Before you managed to stand, his arm came up again and grabbed your other ankle, using you as leverage to pull himself on top of you. He leaned back just enough for you to bring up your knee; striking him in the groin and thrust your blade into his throat, his blood splattering all over your face as his dead weight collapsed on top of you. Haytham as Shay burst through the door, running in as they heard the commotion from downstairs.

"(Name)!!" They both shouted in unison as they reached you, Shay hauling the dead body off you, Haytham pulling you into his arms. You coughed as air filled your lungs again, gripping Haythams shoulders and trying to pull yourself up.

"Do not move my dear, are you hurt?" His voice was trembling in fear as he started pulling your clothes open to check for wounds.

"I'm okay, none of the blood is mine."

He looked around furiously as he helped pull you up, his eyes taking in the second dead body beside the bed, everywhere streaked with red.

"Assassins." 

Your eyes snapped to Shay who was stood gritting his teeth, fists clenched in anger. You looked at the body that he had pulled off you, finally seeing your attacker properly. He was dressed in what was once off-white and brown robes; now stained crimson, hood pulled up so you couldn't see his face, and was wearing similar blades to yours.

"Assassins? Why would assassins try to kill me??!"

"I have no idea, but for whatever reason they have, they must have deemed you a large threat, for them to send someone here of all places. Shay, is there any reason you can think of?"

"No, Master Kenway."

You wondered why Shays gaze shifted about trying to look at anywhere but you, until you realised that your shirt was ripped open, which you hastily pulled closed.

Haytham turned his attention back to you, glancing over you again for injuries.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Really, I'm fine."

"Well, I really must say I'm most impressed my dear, not many people can take on two assassins and come away unscathed."

You smiled as you tried to wipe the blood from your face, which was now becoming sticky as it dried.

"I must have had a good teacher. Remind me to thank Charles next time I see him."

Both Haytham and Shay erupted in laughter, which set you off as you imagined the look across his face if you thanked him.

"I don't think that would be wise, given your current disdain for each other my dear. Now let us get you cleaned up, I will send someone up to dispose of them."

You nodded as he took your hand and led you to the door, stopping for a moment as he turned back to the captain.

"Shay, I would like you to stay here this evening. I doubt the assassins would try anything again tonight, but the more of us here, the better."

"Yes, Master Kenway. I can stay till dawn, then I must set sail to River Valley as we discussed."

You continued down the hall to another of the many rooms in the house, where Haytham poured some water in the basin for you and helped tug off your blood-stained shirt.

"Captain Cormac will be right outside my dear, I must speak with Mister Weeks and see if we can unfold what happened tonight."

He squeezed your hand and left, leaving you to try and comprehend the events of the evening.


	7. Chapter 7

The next few weeks flew by uneventfully, mostly spent either in the gardens or talking with Jack as Haytham refused to let you leave the manor.

You were out on the training grounds once again, tilting your head up to feel the snow land on your face. You didn't have your coat on, but you didn't feel the cold as you leapt from the stable once again, landing on top of the dummy with trained grace. You stared at the now barren beech tree, wondering if the wet weather had now made it stronger to satisfy your desire of wanting to climb higher amongst its limbs. You decided to try, swiftly jumping to the highest point you had gotten to so far; gingerly climbing to the next branch, pulling on it to test its strength. You rose to another, then another, checking each one as you went until you guessed you were close to a hundred feet up.

Closing your eyes for a moment; concentrating as you opened them, you focused your gaze over the roof of the manor, past the market, and down to the docks. You grinned as you spied the tops of red sails, hoping that the other members of the order had arrived for your initiation. Slowly balancing on the edge of the branch, you spread your arms to steady yourself and leant forward, falling through the sky before turning your body mid-air and landing on your back in the hay cart below.

You drew your swords and worked on the practice dummy, keeping your eye out for the members of the order. It wasn't long before you saw a group of people walking towards the gardens, squinting to try and make out who they were. When they finally came into view, you saw Johnson, Hickey, Gist, Cormac, and urgh... Lee. William was the first to reach you with his usual beaming grin, hugging you so tight you thought your ribs might break.

"Good to see you again dear! What on earth are you doing out here without a coat??"

You gasped as he finally let go, trying to hold back your laughter as you caught your breath.

"I'm good, I don't feel the cold very much, especially when I've been practising. Fancy a round?"

Raising his eyebrows, Johnson belted out laughing as he drew his sword, taking a few steps to the other side of you to gain more space.

"Far be it for me to turn down a pretty lady's request! Just go easy on me eh?"

You giggled as he lunged out, parrying his attack easily. You let him think he was getting the upper hand for a few attacks until you crossed your swords over his and pulled, throwing his sword to the side and disarming him quite quickly. You smirked as he feigned annoyance, walking over to retrieve his weapon.

"Who's next then? Thomas?" 

Hickey grimaced as he unsheathed his sword, advancing towards you quickly in hopes to catch you off guard. He was able to last a bit longer than Johnson, but you managed to disarm him none the less. You cocked your head cheekily as you turned to Shay, who winked at you before nudging Gist.

"Our turn then love?"

Our turn?! Your eyes widened as the two men stood either side of you, holding ready to strike. Taking a deep breath, you sheathed your swords then flicked out your blades. Gist looked very confused as you turned to him first.

"Hold on a minute, how are we supposed to disarm you if you use those?"

"Let's see if you can knock me down." You threw a scowl to Lee who was stood with his arms folded, apparently not amused at this childish display.

You raised your arm to block Gists attack, pushing him away to give you a chance to turn and face Shay who struck out a split second later. It wasn't easy, but you managed to fend the men off as they barraged you again and again, until you saw an opportunity to strike Christopher's hand with the back of your fist and make him drop his sword to the ground first. Shay however, was the most skilled of the four by far, nearly knocking you off balance several times.

You kept wearing him down, attacking relentlessly until you eventually saw an opening. Ducking under his sword, you caught his arm and spun into his chest; sweeping your leg against the back of his, making him drop his swords as he fell backwards. Your eyes widened as you felt his hand grab your shirt, pulling you down to crash straight on top of him.

You gasped as you felt his thumb slide up your shirt and caress the small of your back, just for a moment before rolling you off of him so you could both get up. Flustered as you pulled your clothes straight, you peeked out of the corner of your eye at Shay as he picked up his swords. That touch hadn't been accidental. You quickly turned away as his eyes met yours for a split second, the way he looked at you and the flicker of a smile confirmed what you were thinking. You hoped that everyone would attribute the blush on your cheeks from the exertion, and the cold outside as you tried to slow your frantic breathing. You didn't know what to make of this, you'd found him alluring the second you stepped on the Morrigan, and it was becoming more evident that the attraction was mutual, but you are with Haytham. You were snapped out of your thoughts as Gist threw an arm around your shoulders, playfully punching you on the chin.

"Well done lass! You bested us all!"

"Well if it was any consolation, it wasn't easy."

"Ha! You had us all in seconds! Apart from the Captain, I've never seen him lose a fight."

You raised an eyebrow in suprisement, flicking your eyes subtly to Shay once more. Never lost? You knew you were good, but not good enough to beat a man that apparently had never been beaten. Either he was going easy, or he somehow planned it. You pushed the thoughts out of your mind as William and Gist linked arms with you, walking with you to the manor.

You had just finished getting changed when you heard a soft knock at your door. You were greeted by Weeks as you opened it, him leading you down the hall to a chair sitting outside the room at the end.

"Wait here for a moment please (name), we will call for you shortly."

You nodded as you sat down, biting your bottom lip nervously. You didn't have to wait long before Weeks opened the door, gesturing for you to come inside. It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the darkness, only a few candles illuminating the room. There were a large table and chairs in front of you; Haytham standing at the head of it, hands firmly clasped behind him with his usual straight-laced look on his face. You looked around to see the other men around the table too, Weeks joining them after guiding you to stand next to Haytham. Your heart was pounding as he turned his attention to you, his face was straight, but his eyes had softened a little.

 

"Do you swear to uphold the principles of our order and all for which we stand?"

You swallowed hard, trying to find your voice.

"I do."

"Never to share our secrets, or divulge the true nature of our work?"

"I do."

"And do so from now until death, whatever the cost?"

Your breathing quickened as you saw Haytham tense up, staring intently at you. The corner of your mouth twitched as you figured out why he faltered slightly - it was at your replies. Your voice lowered as you spoke again.

"I do."

"Then we welcome you into our fold. You are now a Templar, harbinger of the new world."

The whole table recited together, "May the Father of Understanding guide us."

Everyone in the room cheered, Gist coming over to congratulate you first, throwing his arm over your shoulders.

"Looks like you're stuck with us now lass!"

You giggled as you looked over at Haytham who was conversing with Charles, but kept flickering longing glances at you. Finally finishing talking with Lee, he made his way over to you before anyone else could stop him, sliding his arm around your waist. He looked relieved now, although a little flustered.

"Does this mean I get to go out now?" You grinned as he attempted to scowl at you, his smile betraying him.

"I suppose so my dear. Many things need to be done here in New York, a lot suited to your skills, but I would feel better at someone accompanying you."

"If you send me out with Charles, I'm jumping on the next ship back to Boston!" 

Johnsons haughty laugh bellowed out from behind you as you said this, Haytham following suit.

"Welcome to the fold dear! Now, shall we go get a drink?"

 

 

The evening passed with copious amounts of ale and laughter, Gist and Johnson competing against each other with who has the better tale. So far Christopher was winning. You decided to go out for some fresh air, so you made your way to the porch outside, leaning on the rail and staring at the snow glistening on the ground in the moonlight. 

"You okay love?"

You jumped as you turned around to see Shay standing behind you, as you didn't even hear him open the door. Leaning back on the rail as he walked over and stood next to you, he peered out over into the gardens and cocked his head, wondering what you were looking at. You couldn't stop the fluttering in your stomach or the rising blush in your cheeks as he nudged up, his arm pressing up against yours.

"I'm fine, just a bit hot in there, and I'm just wondering about what I'll be doing, now that I'm officially a Templar."

He scooped up some snow that had settled on the rail and began gently compacting it into a small ball, his mouth twitching as he watched you fluster out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, you're in for a treat lass. Master Kenway decided that after we did such a grand job blowing up that factory, he's decided that we're gonna work together."

Your eyebrows rose in surprise; you thought Shay would have been the last person Haytham would have chose after what happened the last time. A cheeky look washed over your face as you decided to tease him about it.

"Did he now? Even after you knocked me out with a sleep dart?"

Shay, noticing your expression grinned to himself as he pulled at the collar of your shirt, and dropped the snowball straight down your back. You squealed as you frantically tried pulling out your shirt to get it out, Shay holding his ribs in laughter.

"You bastard!" You shivered as you slapped his arm, the ball finally dropping to the floor.

"Eyup, what going on here?" 

You glared at the captain as you tucked your shirt back in, realising what it must have looked like to Hickey who was stood at the open door.

"Nothing Thomas, a bit of snow from the roof fell down my back."

"Ah, I see! Well come on luvvy, we're having a competition to see who can drink a mug of ale the fastest, me coins on you."

You giggled as you followed Hickey back inside, jabbing the still laughing Shay in the ribs with your elbow as you passed.

 

 

You awoke the next morning face down in the bed, the pillow bunched up above you. You turned to see Haytham smiling down at you, gently trailing his fingers down your back.

"Good morning my dear. How is your head?"

You groaned as you pulled the pillow over the top of you, mumbling something incoherent. Haytham chuckled as he pulled it off, and throwing to the floor with a soft thud.

"What was that?"

"I said I'm never drinking again. At least not with Hickey, the man's a fish."

He smirked as he moved on top of you, brushing your hair out of the way to leave a trail of kisses down your neck. His ministrations were halted by the sound of knocking at the door and it opening slightly. He let out an exasperated growl as he shouted out "Yes?!"

"Erm, terribly sorry to disturb Master Kenway, um, but you're needed downstairs. It's erm, quite important."

"Very well. Give me a moment would you Mister Johnson?"

The only reply he got was the sound of the door clicking shut as he sighed against your back. 

"We will continue this later my love." 

You giggled as he climbed off of you, gently biting your shoulder and tickling down your side as he went.

"I think you need to speak to William about the meaning of a closed door."

He threw you a sensual look over you as you stretched out on the bed, before walking over to get dressed.

"Indeed my dear."

 

 

You were now stood in the den with Haytham and Munroe, looking over a map of New York.

"These are the locations of the gang hideouts that we have found so far, but I am certain that there are more."

George pointed out to four places on the map, circling them with a quill before spinning it back around so you could see it.

"So if we take down these four hideouts, we can begin renovations across the city then?"

You looked at Haytham who was sat at his desk with his chin in his hand, gazing at the parchment in your hand thoughtfully. You could tell his mind was elsewhere, but his expression gave no hint as to what. He jumped up suddenly as he realised he was being spoken to and, walked to the table where you stood, examining the locations.

"It would be a start, but without knowing whereabouts all of the hideouts are, the criminals would still run riot throughout the city. Mister Munroe, I want you to use every contact you have, bribe, threaten, kill if you must, but find me the remaining locations."

Munroe nodded and hastily left. As soon as he had gone, you turned to Haytham, looking at him wide-eyed with shock.

"Kill? Is that really necessary?!"

"If we have to sacrifice a few, to save the many, then yes. It is necessary."

Your brow furrowed as he spoke to you strictly and without emotion, the same way as he talked to you when you first met or the other members of the order.

"Right. So, are you going to tell me what the matter is? Or are you going to make me guess?"

His shoulders slumped as you moved over to him, resting your hands on his arms and kissing him briefly on the cheek.

"I'm sorry (name), I just have a lot on my mind. Assassin thugs are running all over the city, and I've heard rumours of them trying to formulate more gas. Also, I'm not happy about you and Captain Cormac going on these assignments, given what happened last time."

You sighed heavily and brought your hand to his cheek, giving him a soft smile in an attempt at comfort.

"We will stop them. I was wondering myself as to why you agreed for Captain Cormac to be the one to assist me on these missions."

"Because my dear, other than myself, the captain is the only one that has proven to be skilled enough for such a task, and these need to be dealt with quickly. Speaking of which, I would like you to start today. Shay should be here soon."

You gave him a fleeting kiss and squeezed his arms, turning to leave to make preparations for your assignment.

"Name, wait a moment."

Turning back around, you stood for what seemed like forever as you watched his face flush and fumble in his pocket for something. Your eyes widened as he stepped towards you, taking your hand and pressing something hard and cold into it. You looked into your palm to see a small, delicately crafted silver ring, with a crimson cross on it. 

Beaming wildly as you put it on, you jumped into his arms and held him tightly.

"I will wear it proudly."

 

 

—————————————————

 

You were breathing heavily as you pulled the dead body behind the shack, Shay joining you a few seconds later with another. This hideout had been a lot harder than the other two, and there were at least double the number of thugs there had been before.

"News travels fast lass, seems like they knew we were coming."

Cormac kept his voice low, scouting around for patrolling guards. You both pulled your hoods up again; following Shay as you snuck between the huts trying to locate the leader.

In a split second, he grabbed your hand and pulled you into a thin, tall cupboard with a thick red curtain as a door, hiding you both from the oncoming guards. He pressed his back up against the wall and pulled you tightly to him, your hands pressed firmly on his chest as the space was barely big enough for one. You could hear mumbled voices as you looked up at Shay in the dim light, who was staring intently over your head and using his vision to see the thugs outside.

When you could no longer hear the voices, you whispered as quietly as you could. "Are they...."

You were stopped as he quickly put a finger over your lips, shaking his head. Your stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies at his touch, breathing harshly through your nose. You pressed against him even tighter as the voices resumed, even through the thickness of his clothes you were sure you could feel his heartbeat getting faster. Your eyes widened, and you quietly gasped, looking back up at him as you felt something hard pressing up against your leg. Shay finally looked down at you as he felt you tense up, swallowing hard and biting his bottom lip, shuffling slightly as he bowed his head apologetically. He finally loosened his grip and cleared his throat as he looked back up, signalling the way was once again clear.

 

You wiped your brow with the cuff of your jacket, then used your hand to shield your eyes from the glaring morning sun as you looked up to see Shay cutting down the hideouts flag.

"Well, that's three!" 

You grinned as he jumped down and threw the orange cloth into the nearby firepit, watching it go up in cinders. After speaking with the Redcoats captain who was now in control of the fort, you took Shays arm and began walking through the busy streets back towards headquarters. You noticed he was unusually quiet, a faint blush spreading over his cheeks when he saw you looking at him.

"Fancy a drink before we head back lass? Think we deserve it after that last one. An..I'm sorry about what happened earlier, in the closet I mean."

You mulled it over for a moment, remembering that Haytham and Charles would be in some secret meeting for most of the day.

"Go on then. But only one okay. And no more funny business." You winked at him as he smiled sheepishly, changing direction to head to the tavern.

 

 

You emerged from the tavern some hours later, slightly tipsy after being forced to drink several mugs of rum after losing at Mans Morris. Holding each other up, laughing and making your best Charles impressions, you made your way back to the headquarters, to be faced by Hickey and Kenway who were talking on the front porch. As soon as Haytham saw you his eyes narrowed, jaw clenching in rage; his gaze flickering between you and the captain.

"I assumed you would be back some hours ago. My dear."

You began to sober up quite quickly at Haythams demeanour; you had never seen him so angry before. It was Shay who managed to speak first, letting go of your waist and standing up straight.

"Just a celebratory drink Master Kenway, the third gang hideout is now under our control."

"I see. Captain Cormac, a word if you please. (Name) go inside."

You nodded meekly and walked past the men, but instead of going inside you hovered in the doorway, eyes widening as Haytham grabbed Shay by the coat with both hands and growling into his face.

"Just what do you think you are doing captain?! Did you not heed my warning!?"

"Aye, I did sir. We're friends, and we work together, nothing more. No harm in mates going for a drink is there?"

Even from where you stood you could tell he was lying, so no doubt Kenway could too. Shay swallowed hard, his face mixed with nervousness and apprehension as Haytham let go, dropping his arms with his fists still clenched.

"I suggest you stay away from now on. Captain." Kenway spat as he went to turn away. Shay, whose face was now furrowed in anger also, stood up straight and rolled his shoulders, pulling his coat back down.

"Isn't that for (name) to decide? Sir?"

Before you even had a chance to say anything Haytham swung around with his fist up, punching Shay square in the jaw. You went to run over, but Thomas who had been stood quietly next to you grabbed your arm and pulled you back.

"I wouldn't gerrin' the middle of that if I were you (name)."

His grip tightened around your wrist as you stood and watched the men deliver several blows to each other, neither refusing to back down. You panicked as you saw Kenway grab Shay around the neck, and instead of punching him flick out his hidden blade. Managing to twist yourself out of Thomas's grasp, you quickly ran over and threw yourself between them both, Haythams blade sinking deep into your right arm. Your eyes widened as you dropped to the ground, screaming out as the searing pain shot through you; blood seeping through your coat and dripping down your arm. Weeks, who had heard the commotion from inside, ran straight to you with Hickey following close behind, both pulling you up and grasping firmly around your arm to try and stop the bleeding.

"We gotta get her inside, now. C'mon duck, I've got you."

Thomas scooped you up in his arms, Jack holding your wound furiously as he glared at the two horror struck men. 

"I don't know what happened, but I suggest you both stay out here. Sirs."

Hickey took you to the nearest bedroom and lay you on the bed as Johnson came bounding in, eyes wide in fear.

"William, get the rum, she's gonna need it if we're to stop the bleedin."

Thomas turned his attention back to you, lifting you up enough to tug off your coat and shirt and pulling the blanket over to cover your chest just as Jack walked back in with a medical box. William followed quickly with a bottle and handed it to Thomas, who poured shot after shot down you; the spicy liquid quickly dulling your senses. 

You weren't quite sure what happened after that, your throat was as dry as sandpaper so you must have been screaming, and the rancid smell of charred flesh lingered in the air.

"We're finished now lass, the bleedin's stopped."

Thomas wiped your head with a cloth, as the sheen of sweat began rolling down the side of your face. You turned your head to the sound of shouting, barely able to see anything through the haze of rum and pain.

"Let me in now Johnson! Or so help me god!"

Squinting your eyes, you saw a blur of blue which you assumed was Haytham, pushing William out of the way and dropping down to your side.

"(Name)."

You turned away as the tears finally leaked treacherously down your face, attempting to speak through your sobs.

"Leave me alone."

You flinched as he kissed the top of your head, brushing his fingers gently over your hair.

"(Name), please...."

"I said leave me alone!" You attempted to shout, but the soreness of your throat made it impossible, your voice nothing more than a scratchy whisper. 

You heard him sigh as he got up and storm across the room, slamming the door on his way out. Turning on your back again, you wiped your eyes and looked up at Thomas who was sat in the chair next to the bed, head in his hands.

"Is Shay okay?"

William dragged up another chair to sit next to the bed also, and handed you a small cup with a foul-smelling liquid in it.

"Drink that dear. It'll make you feel better. Now, would someone like to tell me what the devil just happened?!"

Hickey finally looked up, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands before slumping back in the chair.

"Our Master Kenways apparently got a birra jealous streak in him, started a fight wif Captain Cormac when them two came back late, and pissed. Miss here stupidly got in the way. Gotta say though, I'd have bin a bit miffed too ya know."

You winced as you tried to sit up, only for William to gently push you back down.

"I have no family here, no friends that I know of, only you fellows and Haytham just tried to kill one of the people closest to me. Tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing."

Johnson stroked your head before getting up, gesturing for Hickey to follow.

"Whether we would or not my dear is not in question. Now get some rest alright? Also, Captain Cormac is alive and well, if not a bit bruised."

You nodded and laid back into the bed as the men left, snuffing out the candles as they went. Your eyes slowly closed as the medicine that you had taken began to kick in, dropping you into a dreamless slumber.

 

 

You didn't wake till the next day, opening your eyes to see Shay coming in with a tray of what looked like bread and fruit on it. Using your good arm you pushed yourself up to a seating position, squinting as he opened the curtains to let in the morning sun.

Shay looked away quickly as the blanket dropped down; you forgetting that Thomas had stripped you of your clothing to tend to your wound. Pulling it back up a bit slower than you should have, you rubbed your eyes to get rid of some of the grogginess that was still lingering. Once your eyes adjusted, you could see that he was assured, not happy. Shay sat on the chair that was left by the bed, placing the tray on your lap.

"Ya need to eat."

You picked up a piece of apple and began nibbling on it, looking at him out of the corner of your eye. From what you could see he had a slight split lip, and the beginnings of a black eye, but the rest of him seemed none worse for wear.

"Why did you do that lass? It was stupid and foolish, you could have got yourself killed!" He blurted furiously, making you raise your eyebrows at being spoken to in such a way.

Placing the apple back on the plate as your stomach was still churning after all the rum and medicine you had consumed yesterday, making your appetite non-existent. You finally spoke with all the anger you could muster, taken aback at being told off for saving someone's life.

"Haytham was going to stab you! Trust me, it wasn't my intention to get injured in the process though." 

You screwed your face up when a shooting pain ran through your arm as you tensed up. His gaze softened slightly as he shook his head and rested his hand on yours, after gesturing for you to try and eat more.

"He wouldn't have stabbed me, love, we've had our battles before. Just trying to scare me into backing down. Now come on, eat up then go and speak to Kenway. He's not left his den since last night."

You lowered your head in shame as you realised he was probably right, it was a bit stupid to do what you did, but you had acted on instinct. A million things were tumbling through your head, but you had no hope of making any sense of them just yet. Shay got up to leave, pausing for a second just before shutting the door.

"Oh and lass? Thank you."

 

 

It took another full day before you gathered up the nerve to see Haytham, more because you had no idea what to say to him than anything else. You had been stood at the door to his den for several minutes, your arm lifting for the fourth time in an attempt to knock. Taking a deep breath, you finally managed it this time and opened the door without waiting for a reply.

He was stood staring out of the window, your heart nearly breaking as he turned to face you. His shoulders were slumped, his face weary and his clothes dishevelled as if he hadn't slept for days. Haytham rushed towards you and wrapped his arms around you tightly as an anguished smile crept on your face. He let go slightly and tilted your chin up, placing a soft kiss on your cheek.

"I am so sorry (name), please forgive me."

You entwined your fingers with his, kissing him back in reply then lay your head on his shoulder as you tried to swallow the lump in your throat.

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gone out like that, especially without telling you first."

Haytham sighed as he leant on the edge of the desk, his hand rubbing the two-day stubble on his chin. You had never seen him unshaven before, a twitch of a smile appeared at the corner of your lips when you realised you quite liked it.

"Yes, I was worried when you didn't come back as soon as I thought you would, but that wasn't the reason for all of this my dear. Seeing you with another man like that, I- I just can't handle it. Even a blind man would know that Captain Cormac lusts after you."

You cupped his face in your hands, staring attentively into his eyes. "Haytham, Shay is the closest thing I have to a best friend, and with us working so much together it's only natural that we have formed a bond. Nothing has happened, I assure you."

You struggled to keep your face straight, but somehow managed it as images of Shays advances flickered through your mind. He lept up and kissed you, pulling you hard against him as if he was never going to let you go, your arms dropping around his neck tightly to steady yourself at the sudden jolting. He pulled away and growled at the sound of knocking at the door. "Go Away!" You both shouted in unison before chuckling as he rested his forehead on yours, shaking his head slightly.

"Never a moments peace!"

"An unfortunate drawback of being the Grand Master. Come on, we might as well get you cleaned up. You look like hell."

He raised his eyebrows in amusement as you flashed him a cheeky smile, grabbing his hand and pulling him upstairs.

 

 

It took a lot of pleading and convincing, but Haytham allowed you to go back out with the captain, to capture the fourth fort that you currently had the location of down by the Waterfront. You pulled your hood up as the rain began to fall, looking up at the black sky. Shay tightened his grip around your waist as you slipped on the wet cobbled path; growling to yourself when you regained your footing.

"This is definitely not going to be easy."

You both stopped under the large archway for some shelter as you neared the hideout, as the rain was now falling relentlessly.

"No it's not love, maybe we should leave it till later, or come back tomorrow."

"I think your right, but we should still scout it, see what we're up against at least?"

Shay nodded and smiled as he wiped a raindrop off your nose; that fell from your now dripping wet hood as you pulled it down to shake some of the water off it, then rubbed his hands down your arms as you shivered, his touch only serving to make your trembling worse. 

"C'mon lass, best get going. Don't look like this rain's gonna let up anytime soon."

You inhaled sharply as he caressed your cheek with his thumb as he pulled up your hood back up, looking through your eyelashes to see a sensual smile creep on his face. He was definitely making his intentions more obvious, all subtlety thrown away. Swallowing hard, you grabbed his hand, running to the side of the house and scaling it quickly to the top.

Perching on the edge of the roof, you used your vision to scour across the criminals' lair. It seemed that you had vastly underestimated the size of this gang, there had to be at least thirty thugs on guard as well as numerous poison reserves from what you could tell. You weren't even sure that the two of you could take it alone. Slowly turning to Shay to say it was time to leave, you yelped when your footing faltered on the slick tiles, sending you plummeting to the ground below. Managing to aim yourself to land in the hay cart that was just beneath you, you jumped out quickly, coughing as the wind was knocked out of you as you landed. Looking rapidly around you to see if anyone had spotted you, you spied two guards strolling in your direction, on alert at the noise you had made. You felt the Shays' hand grab your arm just after he had jumped down, pulling you in the opposite direction as the thugs spotted you. 

Weaving in and out between the buildings, you tried to lose your pursuers, but there were just too many of them. Even with their terrible aim, they managed to shoot close enough to make you lose your grip as you tried to climb the side of the house to escape. Just as you had nowhere else to go; backed into a corner at the rear of the hideout, a small explosion erupted in front of you, filling the air with foul green smoke. You both pulled up your gas masks, but it was too late. Grasping ahold of Shay as you coughed and spluttered, you held onto him tightly as your vision clouded, dropping to your knees as the dizziness enveloped you. Your eyes were closed to no more than little slits as you slumped to the ground, barely seeing a shadow of a man looming over you as everything went black.

 

 

 

You groaned as your eyes flickered open, your head swimming and throbbing as the effects of the noxious smoke you inhaled still lingered. You tried to move, but suddenly realised that you were sat in a chair your hands tied behind your back. You could still feel your hidden blades, so whoever had taken you didn't think of you as enough of a threat to disarm you. Heart now beating furiously, you looked around as the waves of nausea began to subside, your eyes starting to focus again. 

You were in a large, rather well-furnished room, four soft chairs and a small table sat by a glowing fireplace, and two elegant desks, one either side of the room, all illuminated by several lanterns scattered about. There were no windows or doors that you could see, but the odd drop of rain that fell on your head let you know that there was an opening in the ceiling just behind you.

Straining against the ropes around your wrists, your fingers brushed up against another pair of hands, so you turned your head as far as you could behind you, to see Shay tied up in another chair pushed up against your back. His head was slumped against his chest, his breathing slow and steady, so you assumed the effects of the gas hadn't worn off for him yet. You leant back, only just managing to nudge him with your shoulder, as you whispered, "Shay, wake up," But there was no response.

"Ah (name), you're awake at last."

You snapped back to see where the voice came from, confusion washing over you as it sounded a lot like Shays. You saw a man emerge from the shadows, quite well built with short sandy hair, dressed in attire similar to what the attackers back at the Templar headquarters were wearing.

"Assassin." You spat, struggling against your restraints again, the ropes starting to cut into your wrists. He chuckled as he grabbed your chin harshly, then slapped you around the face as you tried to bite him.

"Now, tell me where the box is."

You slumped back into the chair, brow furrowing as you tried to figure out just what on earth he was talking about.

"Box?! What box?"

You stiffened as you heard a soft thud behind you, the assassin looking over your head and smiling as a woman's voice rang out.

"I told you, Liam, that won't work. From what I found out, she doesn't remember. But I have something that will soon remedy that."

Glancing over your shoulder again, the woman came into view. She had long brown hair, dressed in a deep plum coat and dress, carrying a packet of some kind.

"Ah, Hope. Good catch you made here. Two traitors for the price of one, and look, they even had matching rings."

He dropped both yours and Shays Templar rings on the nearby desk, no doubt to keep as trophies when they'd finished with you.

"Now, tell me where the box is, or I'll start taking my frustration out on your lover here."

It finally dawned on you that the only reason Shay was probably alive, was because he thought you were together, and he could use him as leverage. They must have been watching you for some time to come to that conclusion, as you did spend a lot of time together recently, either socially, or on missions, and some of your interactions may have suggested more than just friendship. Guilt immediately swept over you; it was your fault he had been dragged into this.

You tried not to jump as you felt the captains hand grasp yours, quickly squeezing his fingers tightly, hoping he would get the hint as to go along with their assumptions. Raising your chin in defiance, you turned to face Liam, jaw clenched.

"Don't you **dare** touch him. As she said, I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't remember!"

You glared at him, and then looked over to where Hope was standing at the desk, mixing some powders and vials into a small bowl. Liam walked to the other side of you as he saw Shays head lift up, and punched him hard, making his head knock into the back of yours.

"Good to see you again Cormac, it's been a while."

You heard Shay spit on the floor, the chair groaning and teetering as he tried to pull against his bonds, his voice growling in anger.

"Liam. I'm guessing Hope's sneaking around here too somewhere?"

Hope used a flint to set the contents of the bowl alight, making a blue wisp of smoke trail into the air as she walked over to stand in front of you.

"You always were an observant student, 'Captain' Cormac now is it? Liam, it's ready."

Smirking, Liam grabbed your head and pushed it forwards, holding you in place tightly as Hope held the bowl under your chin. You held your breath as the fine blue smoke wafted around your face, but you couldn't hold it forever and inhaled it deeply as you gasped, filling your burning lungs with air again.

"Let go of her Liam! Or I swear to god I'll kill you with my bare hands!" 

You could feel Shays chair rocking against yours, desperately trying to free himself as bright colours and stars danced before your eyes. You blinked hard to remain focused, but the more you breathed, the harder it became.

"It's working."

Hope set the bowl down on the desk as Liam let go of you, watching your body relax and stare into nothingness. You felt like you were floating through clouds, your body all warm and weak as random images flashed before you.

A woman appeared first, hanging some wet clothes out to dry as a young girl ran around her in circles, laughing. Another appeared of a dark-haired man wearing assassins attire, talking with George Munroe, looking around quickly and handing him some documents. Father?? 

The image of a field came into view, a dark-skinned man watching two assassins sparring against each other in the midday sun.

A flicker again, to the same dark-haired man as before, this time you were aboard a ship that was under attack. This one was more vivid than the last few. You couldn't hear anything, but you could see him shouting at you and pushing a box into your hands, then turning towards the pirates as he drew his swords.

"Father! No!" You tried to scream, but nothing but silence came out of your mouth. The vision was washed away by a swirling of colour again, closing your eyes as everything went dark.

You opened your eyes again to see Liam's face, inches from yours, staring intently. Rage filled every part of you as you leaned back, and swung forward with as much force as you could, your forehead connecting straight with his nose, making it pour with blood instantly. He jumped back and grabbed his face, swinging out with his other arm and hitting you across the cheek with the back of his hand.

"It looks like she remembers you, Liam." 

Hope smirked as she stood in front of you, just out of range of your flailing legs, hands firmly on her hips.

"Now. Where is the box?"

You threw your head back as you erupted in laughter, Hope raising her eyebrows as she waited for you to explain your amusement.

"Your precious box is at the bottom of the ocean. You can thank Haytham Kenway for that."

"Lies! Where is it, Templar?!" Liam growled at you through his teeth, his nose finally stopping bleeding.

"Its the truth. The pirates took it when they captured the ship I was on, and when they foolishly tried to attack a Templar ship, it was destroyed. I'm the only thing that made it off."

Hope pulled Liam to one side, whispering about what you did not doubt, was if you were telling the truth, and what to do with you now. This was the moment of distraction you had been waiting for. Keeping them focused on your face while you had been speaking, you had managed to slip free of your bonds. Flicking your blade out as silently as you could, you slowly began cutting the rope around Shays' wrists using as little movement as you could muster. You felt him tapping you on the back of your wrist as you worked, then grabbing your hand, signalling for you to wait a moment as his wrists were freed.

Just as the assassins turned their backs to you, you squeezed back, both of you jumping up in an instant. They had little time to react as Shay threw a smoke bomb in their direction, with you running underneath the opening in the ceiling. You laced your fingers together just in time as Shay ran towards you; stepping on your hands, using the leverage to leap up and catch the edge of the hatch. Once he had pulled himself up, he reached down and grabbed your hand, heaving you up quickly into the daylight.

You ran over the rooftop and leapt from the edge, rolling as you landed on the ground. Looking behind you for a split second to see if you were being followed, and if the captain was just behind you, you jumped into a sprint. You headed out of the farmland that you somewhat recognised, towards the busy market streets. Not stopping until you got to the edge of the Templar headquarters, you finally collapsed onto your knees, breathing frantically. Shay dropped beside you a second later, gently laying a hand on your shoulder and looking at you earnestly as his breaths began to slow slightly.

"You remember? Everything?!"

You nodded frantically as you stood up and brushed yourself off, teeth gritting and fists clenching as you continued to the manor. 

"I've got to speak with Haytham. Now."

 

Lee and Hickey jumped out of their seats as you burst into the den, Kenway; who was stood looking out the window, turned around furiously at the sudden intrusion. His face dropped as he saw you, catching you in his arms as you ran toward him. His brow creased as he tilted your chin up, a dark bruise emerging across your cheek. You pulled away and leant on the edge of the desk, your face flustered with heat and rage.

"What in gods name is going on?!"

Haythams face twisted in anger as he turned to Shay; who was grabbing the back of Lees chair, trying to speak through languid breaths.

"Assassins. Took us. Hope and Liam used something on her. She. Remembers."

Haythams eyes widened in shock, a look of dread washing over him as he turned his gaze to you. You continued staring at the floor, your knuckles going white as you clenched the edge of the desk, hard. Turning your attention to Kenway, you spoke quietly, trying to control the shaking in your voice.

"The ship that you found me on, did you loot it before you sank it? Did you take a small carved box, that you didn't know how to open?"

He swallowed hard as he nodded, his body tensing up as he knew what was coming.

"That box, contains plans and maps of Assassin hideouts and forts all over the world. Also, a jade necklace. A key to a precursor site. Munroe sent my father and me to retrieve it from England, and I am the only one alive who knows how to open it. But you already knew that, didn't you. Where is it?"

Your eyes flickered to Lee and Hickey as they took a step closer towards you, brows furrowed in confusion. 

"It's in Boston, safely hidden at our headquarters," Haytham whispered.

You stood up straight and took a deep breath, flexing your hands as you tried to regain feeling in them after gripping the desk so hard.

"When you said that everyone aboard is no longer with us, you meant that you had killed everyone, including all of the captives, didn't you?"

You didn't wait for him to reply this time; instead you lunged out at him, grabbing his collar and kicking his feet from under him, sending him toppling to the ground. Kneeling over him so he couldn't get up, you flicked your wrist and pressed your blade hard up against his throat, just cutting the skin.

"You killed my father!!! You lied to me! As soon as Munroe said something, you knew!!"

You felt four strong arms around you; attempting to pull you off of him, but the adrenaline fuelling your rage kept them from doing so. It took another pair of arms around your waist to finally pull you off, kicking and screaming at the Grand Master. As you calmed down slightly Shay wrapped his arm around your shoulders, leading you away and out of the headquarters, leaving Kenway slumped in a chair with his head buried in his hands, and a dumbstruck Thomas and Charles.

Tears of fury rolled down your cheeks as you walked through the streets of New York, Shay not saying anything as he led you to the docks. He led you to the lower deck of the Morrigan; taking you to the quarters that you had stayed in before, laying you down on the bed and pulling off your boots. Crouching down next to you, he brushed a tear from your cheek, a sorrowful expression on his face.

"Get some rest lass; it's been an exhausting day. They'll be no one aboard till tomorrow, so take as much time as you need, an if you need me, I'll be here."

You pressed your cheek into his hand as he kissed the top of your head, then smiling at you gently as he left you to sleep. Pulling off your coat and trousers to attempt to get more comfortable, you laid back down, staring at the wall. Stifling back another sob as images of your father flickered through your mind again, your sorrow turned to anger as you thought about Haytham. He had used you, playing with your emotions to get what he wanted. You had been having unnerving feelings for a while now, more so when Kenway had started acting strangely after talking with Munroe, but you had pushed them aside, believing his excuses. Well no more. You pulled the blanket over yourself and tried to clear your mind as fatigue finally set in, your eyes slowly closing, and sinking into a deep sleep.

 

Your eyes flickered open, wincing at the tightness of your neck that the infernal bed had caused once again. Standing up to stretch out, your gaze landed on the small window on the back wall. You had no idea what time it was; but it was dark out, only the moonlight making it slightly visible. Sitting back on the edge of the bed you massaged your temples, wondering what you were going to do next. You weren't going back to headquarters, that was for sure.

Your stomach backflipped as an image of Shay randomly crossed your mind, his hand caressing your cheek as he pulled your hood up before going back out into the rain. You bit your bottom lip as you recalled of the times he had been there for you, all the little gestures and hints that you had refused to act upon because you were with Haytham. That definitely wasn't a problem anymore. Taking a deep breath, you left the quarters and headed up the deck, the pounding in your chest getting faster with every step. 

You ran across the boards quickly, the cold air whipping around your bare legs making you shiver. Pausing for a moment as your hand rested on the door handle to the captains quarters, you mustered every bit of courage you had and quietly went inside. You didn't make a sound as you snuck across the room, every part of you fluttering as you saw Shay in bed, lightly snoring with his arm resting on top of his head.

Lifting the blankets slightly, you crept under them next to him, pressing up against his side as you lay your hand on his chest. His body felt feverish under your fingertips, and you let out a small sigh as his familiar spicy scent surrounded you, making you even more nervous. You froze as he stirred, watching his eyes flicker open in the dim candlelight.

"(Name)?"

Shay looked shocked and confused as his gaze landed on you, turning to lay on his side to face you. Without saying anything you snuggled up close to him, pressing your bodies tightly together as he wrapped his arms around you, his fingers lacing through your hair. You began to relax slightly, being here in his arms felt so safe, and right. The corner of your mouth twitched as you felt that hardness press up against your leg again, so you looked up at him as he swallowed hard, pulling his hips away from you. Raising your now trembling hand to his cheek and gazing into his eyes warmly, you pulled his head towards you, brushing your lips against his.

Shays' eyes widened in surprise, and you could feel his hands tighten on you as he lowered his head, kissing you back so tenderly it made a small moan rise from your throat. His kiss deepened at the sound you made, fingers trailing down your back that made you shudder. Holding you tightly again, he rolled onto his back, pulling you on top of him and slowly sitting up, delicately peppering kisses over your cheek and down your neck. Looking at you nervously as his hands dropped to the hem of your shirt, his fingers grazed your sides as he pulled it up and over your head, making you quiver.

He sat and admired the view before him a moment, the corners of his mouth curling up as his fingers ghosted over your chest, trailing across your soft mounds, circling the peaks that began to stiffen and pebble under his touch. Your skin felt like it was on fire as his hands worked over you, touching you so gently as if you might break. You gasped as he leant forward and took your nipple between his lips, gently sucking, flicking his tongue that sent little tendrils of pleasure scorching through you. Running your hands over his shoulders and down his arms, you could feel every taut muscle tense up, his breathing speeding up slightly. Lifting his chin from your breast with one hand, your other snaked down between his legs as you raised your hips, making him judder as your fingers wrapped around his throbbing erection, positioning him at your already slick entrance.

Shays' hands rested on your hips as you slowly lowered yourself onto him, biting your lip and stopping every few moments as you stretched uncomfortably to accommodate his size. You closed your eyes and sighed as you were now fully seated on him, wrapping your arms around his neck as you began to gently rock your hips forward, savouring every movement.

His lips found yours again as he pushed up in unison against you, every thrust sending quivering waves of pleasure throughout your body, every nerve tingling in ecstasy. You had been a fool to deny your instincts for so long, everything about Shay was perfect. The way he held you, the lingering glances of lust and adoration when he thought you weren't looking, the protectiveness that he had for you, making your furiously beating heart swell every time he was near.

A low growl rose from his chest as he relished in having you on top of him, the feeling of your silky skin pressing up against him, your soft lips upon his. His pace quickened slightly as your already tight walls clamped harder around his shaft, every squeeze making him begin to unravel. You threw your head back and moaned loudly as the pressure building within you burst, sending hot bolts of electricity through you, making you go dizzy and stars dance before your eyes. He ran his hand down the front of your sweat laced body, his pace slowing slightly as you rode out your climax, your body trembling and slumping forwards. Stopping for a moment, he wrapped his arms around you and turned you both; so you were now laying on your back, his cock still impaling you deeply as he moved. He brushed a strand of hair off your head as he kissed your cheek, whispering softly in your ear.

"Are you okay love?"

You nodded as your frantic breathing started to slow, only to quicken again as he resumed thrusting into you, your essence dripping onto him, allowing him to set up a faster pace. His hand moved to under rear and tilted you up, making him fill you deeper, the new angle making the barely dying embers of your previous climax grow again quickly. You bit down on his neck as he moved; your nerves screaming with overstimulation, making you whimper and quiver against him. You hooked your leg over his hip, nails dragging down his muscular back as he filled you over and over, plunging hard into you, making cry out as your second release overwhelmed you. The feel and the sounds of you losing yourself to him again made him come undone, groaning into your neck as his hips juddered against you, the intensity searing through him like fire.

He held you tight as you both came down from your highs, kissing your neck until he could form words again. Stroking your cheek as he looked at you with bleary eyes, a smile crept up his face when he watched you sink back into the bed, a look of contentment on your face.

"Ya have no idea how long I've wanted to do that (name)."

You giggled as he moved onto his side next to you, pulling you close and draping his arm over your waist, gazing at you adoringly.

"I think I can hazard a guess. I'm sorry it took me so long to come to my senses."

Shays' hand tightened on your hip as he leaned in to kiss you, making your body tremble as the aftershock of your explosive climax still lingered. Breaking away, he grinned as he watched you twitch when his fingers trailed gently over the back of your thigh.

"To be honest lass, I was close to giving up, and Gists teasing was becoming too much."

You raised your eyebrows in shock, you knew Gist was an observant man, but until recently you thought Shays advances had been quite subtle.

"Christopher knew? What's he been saying?"

"He said I'd have more luck going after the Queen of Spain, and you were too good for me."

You couldn't help but feel a little smug at hearing this; it's not often one gets compared to royalty.

"What did you say to that?"

Shay looked a little embarrassed at your question, a hint of pink creeping over his cheeks again as he chuckled, "I said you were a queen to me, an I make my own luck."

You grinned as you tilted your head up to catch his lips with yours, kissing him passionately, leaving you both breathless once again. You lifted your head so he could lay his other arm under you, snuggling up to his shoulder as tiredness began to wash over you both.

"So what happens now, love?"

You stifled a yawn as your eyes began to close, your mingled scents making you relax even more.

"Well I still want to stop the assassins, so I'll continue with the missions, but I don't want to ever have anything to do with _him_ again."

"Then you'll stay with me, by my side. Though I will have to take him with us to Boston, so we can sort that box you were talking about."

You felt Shays grip tighten around you, kissing the top of your head as your body stiffened at the thought of being next to the man who betrayed you.

"Don't worry lass. I won't let him get near you ever again."


	8. Chapter 8

You were standing on the top deck of the Morrigan and enjoying the breeze on your face, leaning on the rail as you watched the crew ready the ship to set sail. Your stomach fluttered as you saw Shay climb aboard with Gist following closely behind, talking about the puckle guns in his usual rapid pace. A broad smile spread over your face as the men made their way up to where you were standing. Shay wrapped one hand behind your back, the other behind your head, leaning you back and kissing you deeply. You giggled at Gists expression as Shay pulled you back up, his eyes wide in shock and amusement, then a beaming grin a second later.

"Well, it's about bloody time!"

Gist winked at you, and patted Shay on the back, then turned as he heard more people board the ship. He bounded down the steps as Hickey, Lee and Johnson climbed aboard, your entire body stiffening as Haytham came into view at the back of the line. Your eyes narrowed as he looked up at you, his face filled with anguish. Very deliberately as he knew Kenway was watching, Shay pulled you close and kissed the top of your head, making your frown melt away, a soft smile replacing it as you leant into his shoulder.

"Do you want to relax in my quarters for a bit love? I'm gonna be busy for a while, and there's not much ya can do to help really."

You gave him a lopsided grin as you laced your fingers with his, your stomach fluttering as he gave you a seductive wink.

"Okay. I hope you've got something to read down there?"

"To be honest lass, I haven't got a clue. Don't have much time to read, especially now I've found a better way to spend my time."

Your face turned crimson as he kissed your cheek, chuckling at you going shy. "I'm sure you'll find something, clever girl like you. I'll be with you as soon as I can."

You wandered around the cabin looking for something to pass the time, the few books that you had found were either too faint to read, or looked dreary. Smiling as you saw a large piece of blank parchment and some charcoal, you curled up in the large chair by the desk and began to sketch. It had been a long time since you had drawn anything, the past few months you didn't even know that you enjoyed it.

 

 

Some hours later, you heard the door click open behind you. Assuming it was Shay, you smiled as you continued drawing, not looking around as you spoke. "I didn't think you would be here so soon?"

When you didn't get a reply, you jumped up out of the chair as you looked behind you, sending the parchment and charcoal flying to the ground. Your jaw clenched as you flicked out your blade, glaring at Haytham.

"What are you doing here?!"

He raised his hands defensively, his eyes pleading as he stared at you. "(Name), please let me explain..."

"There is nothing to explain. Now get out before I kill you where you stand."

You raised your arm ready to strike as he took a step closer to you, your hands now shaking in anger.

"(Name) please! Yes, I killed your father, but he attacked me first, and he was clothed as an assassin. And yes, I originally took you because I knew you could open the box, but we became more, everything we had, every feeling, was real!"

Your jaw clenched so tight hit began to hurt, your body filled with white-hot rage, making you tremble as you screamed, "Lies! Get out!!"

Haytham jumped as the door burst open behind him, Shay running past him to stand in front of you defensively. You withdraw your blade as Shay reached behind himself, grabbing your hand and squeezing it tight. His voice was a low growl as he spoke, and you could feel him shaking with anger.

"I suggest you leave right now. Master Kenway."

You peeked over Shays' shoulder, watching as Haytham tense up, face twisting in rage. "Step aside, Captain, this doesn't concern you. Unless you would like another demonstration of what happens if you don't heed my warnings."

You stepped to the side of Shay, pressing up against him and laying your hand on his chest as he wrapped his arm around your waist, glaring at Haytham with as much resentment as you could muster.

"I'll say again, I suggest you leave, Sir. Or I'll throw you off my ship straight down to the depths."

Kenways shoulders slumped as his gaze flickered between you and the captain, realisation washing over him.

"I see. It seems that I'm not the only one who lied."

You let out the breath you didn't realise you had been holding, as you watched Kenway turn on his heel and leave, slamming the door behind him. Shay immediately took you in his arms, trembling as he kissed you gently. He broke away and rested his forehead against yours, his hands stroking your back softly. 

"Are you okay love? I'm so sorry I didn't get down here sooner."

You pulled back slightly, lifting your head to gaze at him adoringly.

"I'm okay now you're here, I just can't believe the nerve of him coming down like that. I think he's got the hint now though."

"Hmm, I think so lass. What did he mean when he said that he wasn't the only one who lied?"

You chewed at your bottom lip, looking a bit sheepish as your arms tightened around him, "Ummm, he kind of asked me a bit ago if I had feelings for you. I said I didn't."

Shay raised an eyebrow as he smirked at you, bringing his hand up to wipe a smudge of coal off your cheek.

"Oh really?! Just made me work for you then did ya love? Whats this on your face?"

You cocked your head as you giggled, looking down at the black mark on his thumb, giving you the perfect opportunity to change the subject.

"Oh, I was just drawing while I was waiting for you, it's around here somewhere."

He let go of you as he looked around, biting your lip as he bent over to pick up the parchment he spotted under the desk. His mouth dropped in astonishment as he studied the sketch of the Morrigan you had done, grinning wildly as he looked at you.

"(Name) this is amazing! I didn't know you could do this?"

You smiled coyly as you walked over to the table, picking up the charcoal that you had dropped. 

"Well, technically neither did I, until yesterday."

Shay stood there pondering for a moment, before placing the parchment carefully on the desk, the corner of his mouth twitching in a smile.

"Can you draw, people?"

"I suppose so, but I've not done it in a while. Why?"

He leaned against the edge of the desk, suppressing the smirk that would give away what he was thinking.

"No reason lass, was just pondering. I wonder what other hidden talents you have?"

Your eyes danced as you moved to stand in front of him, your fingers trailing down his chest suggestively.

"Plenty of time to find out."

 

 

You didn't see Haytham again for the rest of the trip thankfully, and you hung behind listening to Christopher talk about a man he was going to meet as you watched the members of the order disembark.

"Shall we get going, lass?" 

You grinned as Shay took your hand, as much as you enjoyed Gists company, sometimes his bubbly personality was a bit intense. You made your way to the headquarters, instead of going to through the front, you led Shay to the back of the estate, and to the kitchen.

"Flo!"

Florence looked up from the bread she was kneading, beaming as she rushed over to you, hugging you tight.

"(Name)! So glad to see you again dear! How have you been?"

Flo pulled up her pinny and brushed the flour off your arms that she had accidentally smudged on you, glancing up at Shay out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm good Flo. Actually, better than good. This is Captain Shay Cormac, have you met him before?

Flo straightened herself after she finished cleaning you up, extending her hand and lowering in a courtesy.

"Can't say that I have dearie. Pleased to meet you, Captain Cormac. Can I get you a drink?" 

Shay grinned as he took her hand, quickly kissing the top of her fingers. "Aye, that would be grand."

Shay took the mug of ale that Flo handed him, and leaned sideways on the counter as you walked to the other side of the kitchen where Flo resumed kneading the bread, eager for a bit of female company.

"So dearie, what have you been doing? I've missed our chats, an Lucy's gonna be thrilled your back."

"Ah you know, the usual. Taking out the bad guys, nearly getting killed by assassins in my sleep, got my memories back."

Flo stopped kneading and stared at you aghast, not quite believing what you had said. "All of that in a few months?! Blimey, dearie, you have been busy! And that dashing gentleman over there?"

"We're.... together."

Flo leaned back slightly, no so subtlety glancing over the captain, eyebrows raising in approval. "Very nice dear, much better than Master Kenway that's for sure. Lovely backside too if I might say."

"Flo!"

You giggled and blushed as you turned to look at Shay, who was attempting to hide his grin behind his mug, his eyes dancing as they met yours. Your smile quickly turned into a frown as Charles and Haytham walked in through the side door, Flo slinking back into the pantry. You rushed over to stand next to Shay as Kenway stared at you sullenly, placing the box he was carrying on the table.

"Well come on girlie, open it up."

Charles pushed the box towards you as you sat down, glaring at you with usual contempt. Taking a deep breath as you picked up the box, you turned it over and traced your fingers over the raised carvings. Pressing one of the pieces in, you turned it over again and twisted another part, until you heard a click. You slid the top of the box open, to reveal the contents inside, your face contorting in confusion as you saw it was empty. You looked up to see everyone with the same expression as yours.

"I don't understand, I saw my father put everything into this box!"

"Well, it seems that is not the case (name). Who knew how to open it?" You turned your attention to Kenway, whose face had now gone from confusion to irritation.

"Just three people. Me, my father, and the man who made the box of course."  
Shay rested his hand on your shoulder, looking as if he already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask. "Who made the box love?"

"Benjamin Franklin."

"That means any assassin would have known how to open it, lass, he's been working with them for some time now. But I don't see how they could have got to it."

"Florence!" You jumped in your seat as Haytham barked out, looking over to see Flo emerge from the pantry and hastily running over, head lowered.  
"Yessir Master Kenway?"

"Florence. While I have been gone, have you seen or noticed anything unusual around the manor?"

Flo stood fidgeting nervously, as she was trying to recall anything curious over the past few weeks. 

"Well nothing particularly unusual sir, but two gentlemen came calling for you a couple of weeks ago that I didn't recognise. They left as soon as I told them you were away. An I had to close the windows to yer den the other night, which I thought strange, considerin' that no one but the staff was here."

Haytham stood up straight and clasped his hands behind his back, looking at Flo sternly. "These two men, what did they look like?"

"Both dark skinned Sir, one with a long white coat, other blue, with hoods. Kinda like theirs."

You looked down at yourself, then over to Shay as Flo gestured towards you both, comprehension starting to sink in. Kenway slammed his fists on the table in rage as you and Shay spoke in unison.

"Achilles and Adéwalé."

You watched Haytham pace the kitchen angrily, contemplating on what to do, his gaze finally settling on you.

"I do not know how they knew it was here, but we must get those documents and key back. Whatever the cost. I assume that they would have taken it back to the Davenport Homestead, you and Captain Cormac will go there and retrieve it."

You felt a squeeze on your shoulder, you didn't realise Shay had kept his hand there the entire time.  
"Us Master Kenway? We would be recognised the second we stepped onto the land."

Kenways ashamed gaze didn't once move from you as he spoke, laced with anger, in complete contrast to his eyes.

"You will be less recognised than Mister Lee or me, and you both have intimate knowledge of the layout of the Homestead yes?"

You gave a surly nod, and looked up to see Shays' shoulders drop, realising there was no point in arguing with the Grand Master.

"We won't be able to take the Morrigan sir, they'll spot us a mile away if we travel by sea. We'll have to go by carriage."

"Very well. You will leave tomorrow, and if you make good time, you will be there by nightfall. The cover of darkness will help in your retrieval of the artefact."

Haytham picked up the box and gestured for Charles to follow him, leaving you, Shay and Flo in a rather bad mood.

"Well. Good to see the Masters as cheerful as ever! It's a good job he pays well. Now my lovelies, how about some breakfast eh?"

 

 

Later that evening you were sat at the upper level of the Green Dragon, with Johnson, Hickey, Gist and Shay. You took a sip of your drink, and banged it on the table as you stared at Thomas, who had been glaring at you since you walked in.

"Something to say, Thomas?"

He placed his own tankard on the table, his gaze flickering between you and the captain, who had taken your hand in his, caressing your fingers with his thumb.

"Looks like Master Kenway had right to be suspicious. I'm surprised your still alive Captain, stealin' his woman like that."

Gist put his hand on your shoulder as you went to jump up, making you sit back down as he walked over to Thomas, towering over him.

"Shay did nothing of the sort! Did you really expect the lass to stay with the man who used her like that?! Who killed her father?!"

Hickey slunk back into his chair, instantly regretting what he had said. "S'pose not. Sorry duck."

You turned your attention to William, who was knocking on the table, laughing at Hickey's cowardly posture.

"Well, I for one am happy for you my dear, never seen you so glowing. How about another round, Captain?"

You blushed as Shay lifted your hand, grinning as he kissed your fingers gently and got up to go to the bar. Your smile didn't last long, as you saw Gist leap up from his chair, and run down the stairs. Looking over the rail, you saw Shay with his jaw locked, and his fists clenched, Haytham laughing at him with Lee stood just behind, grinning. Standing up, you felt a hand grab your arm tightly, holding you in place. 

"Oh no you don't my dear, not after what happened last time!" 

You stayed where you were as William hesitantly let go, you both watching as Gist said something to Shay as he held him back, stopping him from punching Haytham. You started chewing your lip as Kenway and Lee walked off with their drinks to the other side of the tavern, sitting with some men that you didn't know, and Gist bounding back up the stairs as Shay turned his attention back to the bar.

"What was that about?"

You stared at Gist as he flopped back in his seat, propping his legs up on top of the table.

"Nothing lass, don't worry about it."

You crossed your arms in defiance, glaring at him so intently that it made him wince. He groaned as he took off his hat and dropped it on the table, knowing full well that you weren't going to let the matter drop.

"Fine. Master Kenway asked the Captain if you felt 'loose' after him, and if he had managed to make you scream his name yet."

Before anyone had a chance to stop you, you darted down the stairs, fists clenched, fire in your eyes as you approached the table that Haytham was sitting at. You tapped him on the shoulder, watching him frown as he turned around to see you confronting him. With all of the strength you could muster, you drew your arm back and slapped him around the face, making the entire tavern go quiet.

"How DARE you!! Grand Master or not, how dare you speak about me that way! Least of all to the man I love!"

You froze for a moment, realising what you just said, as you watched Haytham stare at you wide-eyed and bring his hand up to his cheek. You had never said that to, or about anyone before, even when you had no memories, you couldn't bring yourself to tell it to Haytham. As the tavern resumed its usual bustle and noise, you turned around to see Shay staring at you, astounded. He placed the drinks he was holding back on the bar and walked over to you, wrapping his arm around your waist and throwing Kenway a superior look.

"I think it's best we leave lass."

Shay lead you outside, and as soon as the door closed behind you, he turned around and pressed you against the wall, kissing you so passionately it left you breathless and trembling. He cupped your face in his hands, gazing into your eyes with fervent desire.

"Did you mean what you said in there? When you were shouting at Kenway?"

You could feel your face burning as your heart pounded furiously, your voice shaking as you spoke.

"Erm... I... Yes."

A curve of a smile appeared on his face and grabbed your hand, pulling you through the streets of Boston, back towards headquarters. He lead you through the front door and straight upstairs, rushing by the chuckling Flo who was sweeping the hall as you came in.

As soon as he locked the bedroom door behind you, he pulled you into his arms, kissing you with the same hunger as before, his fingers working furiously to undo your clothing.

Your own hands followed suit, fumbling with the buckles and straps across his chest, unbuttoning his waistcoat shortly after. Pulling away for a second so he could shrug off his jacket and waistcoat, you threw your own along with your shirt to the ground, then grabbed the hem of his, and furiously pulled it over his head.

A loud moan passed your lips as his mouth descended on your neck, kissing and sucking frenziedly, stopping to bite down on that sensitive part just above your collarbone that sent goosebumps down your spine. 

He let out a small hiss as you dragged your nails down his back and over his hips, stroking the hard bulge in his trousers before tugging at the buttons to free him. Just as you managed to twist the last one free, his hand grabbed yours to stop you, his other seizing the top of your trousers and pulling at them with such force, it ripped the buttons off and sent them flying.

You kicked off your boots and stepped out of your trousers as they fell, gasping as Shay dropped to his knees, kissing and licking your stomach, sinking lower with each movement.  
He looked up at you with lustful darkened eyes as he parted your legs, his mouth twitching as you bit the side of your lip, your breathing becoming rapid.

You whimpered as his tongue trailed over the top of your mound and down the sides of your slit, teasing you, purposely avoiding where your body craved him the most. Inhaling sharply as his mouth finally delved into your crease, your hands grabbing his shoulders as his tongue circled your swollen nub, your hips jolting forwards as tingling waves of pleasure swam through your body. You laced your fingers through his hair as your body began to tense up, every flick of his tongue pushing you closer to the edge. 

A little whine left your throat as his mouth pulled away, moving to nibble on the tops of your thighs as his fingers trailed between your legs, collecting your arousal as he caressed your entrance. Your hand tightened on his shoulder as he pressed a single digit inside you, then added a second, pausing for a moment as he felt you tighten around him. Slowly curling and moving his fingers inside you, the tight knot of pleasure rapidly beginning to build again making you pant and tremble. He moved faster as he felt your legs tense up, your breathing becoming more frantic with every stroke. Just as the coil of heat inside you was about to burst, you let out an exasperated groan as he removed his fingers, and stood up, pressing himself hard against you. Toeing off his boots as he pushed you to the wall and kicking off his trousers as they fell, you grasped hold of his shoulders as he lifted and held your leg over his hip, and rubbed his length through your folds.

"Shay... Please....."

You were literally begging as tilted your chin up, his eyes filled with admiration as his mouth captured yours in a longing kiss, twisting his hips so he was poking at your entrance. Your nails dug into his back, leaving shallow crescents as he pressed forwards slowly, just poking inside you before pulling out entirely, delving into you a bit more each time as your walls stretched nearly painfully to take him in. When he was fully seated deep inside you, Shay wrapped his free arm around your waist and started moving at a steady pace, once he knew he wasn't going to hurt you. Because he had denied you not once, but twice, the pleasure grew to almost breaking point instantly, your body tensing and jerking uncontrollably. Just as you thought you couldn't take anymore, your climax finally washed over you, every part of you tightening around him as white-hot fire coursed through your blood, making your mouth pull away from his slightly as you struggled to breathe through your orgasmic moans.

When you expected the tendrils of pleasure to die down, they didn't. You began to tremble as wave after wave of electrifying bliss consumed you with every thrust he made, moaning his name over and over again. After what felt like hours, your peak began to die down slightly, enough so you could lift your head as you felt his arm release your waist, and pull up your other leg, so you were fully wrapped around him. His eyes didn't leave yours as he walked over to the bed, lowering you both slowly down. His fingers trailed over your lips and down your neck as his hips began slowly moving again, sighing as he felt you tighten around him exquisitely.

Your grip around him tightened as his thrusts quickened, his composure beginning to unravel as he savoured your body against his. Your heart was swelling as he tenderly gazed into your eyes, you raised your head to brush your lips against his cheek, and whispered in his ear.

"I love you, Shay."

That was exactly what he wanted to hear, losing all self-control as his mouth latched onto yours, kissing you with such passion, making you shudder and breathless. His arms slid underneath you, pulling you tighter against him as his pace became frenzied, each thrust pushing you even closer towards your second release. He groaned into your mouth as he began to shudder against you, his climax pushing you into your own, making you cry out, grasping at each other as the intensity ravaged you both.

He broke his lips away from yours, giving you both a chance to catch your breaths, pulling his arm from under you to caress your cheek.

"I love you too (name)."


	9. Chapter 9

It was barely dawn as you stood in the streets of the market, watching the traders set up their stalls for the busy day ahead of them. There was one in particular that you were looking for, smiling to yourself as you finally spotted him. Walking over as he pulled his wagon up to his empty stall, you glanced over the piles of clothing he was bringing to sell.

"How much for the blue one?"

You stood puzzled for a moment as the man did a series of bizarre gestures at you, until you realised he couldn't speak. You bowed your head apologetically, and picked up the dark blue waistcoat from his wagon and held out your hand, with various coins in your palm. You frowned as he only took two coins from you, knowing that he had vastly undercharged you for something quite nicely made. You pressed another two coins into his hand, causing him to bow gratefully as you turned around, bumping straight into Shay. You grinned as he pulled you in his arms, kissing you briefly as he tickled up your back.

"Wondered where you'd gone love, what's that you've got there?"

You unfolded the waistcoat to show him, giggling as his face creased in mock disapproval.

"Awww making it harder for me to get to that lovely body of yours lass!"

"It's only for this mission, I don't usually like being so restricted, but if we're to be stealing from the Assassins, it might come in handy. Anyway, you're one to talk."

He chuckled as you prodded and tugged at the numerous buckles and straps across his waist and chest. "Alright, you got me there. Best get going love, I'll catch you up, there's something I need to do quick."

You threw him a questioning look before kissing him briefly, and made your way over to the Green Dragon, where you saw the wagon and Kenway already waiting. Smirking as you saw that Haytham was still sporting a faint mark across his cheek from where you slapped him, you quickly climbed into the carriage, definitely not wanting to face him and spoil your good mood. You peeked through the window a few minutes later, to see Shay stood in front of Haytham, both men squaring up against each other as they conversed.

You finally stopped holding your breath as the captain walked away, his frown melting into a grin as he climbed into the carriage and sat next to you, immediately draping his arm over your shoulder.

"Do I even want to know?"

Shay banged on the side of the carriage, signalling for the driver to leave, then turned to you, tilting your chin up and pressing his lips to yours softly.

"He said that nothing better happen to ya love. Told him that your safety is not his concern anymore, its mine."

You smirked as you leant over and grabbed the blanket from the other seat, draping it over you both as the carriage was still cold from the early morning air.

"You're becoming quite the knight in shining armour, you know that?"

He grinned as he reached into his pocket, and presented you with a silver ring, two hands clasping a heart, with a crown on the top. "A gift for my queen. Depending on how you wear it, it means different things. Single, in love, engaged or married."

"How do you wear it for love?"

You beamed wildly as he took your right hand and slipped it on your finger, the heart pointing inwards. You admired it for a moment and wondered how on earth he had managed to get the perfect size, then turned back to him and kissed him deeply, before wrapping your arm around him and snuggling onto his chest.

 

You weren't even aware you had fallen asleep as your eyes flicked open to the sound of Shay mumbling your name. Lifting your head slightly, you saw he was asleep, a slight smile on his face and his hips were gently twitching. You giggled as you peeked under the blanket to confirm, that he was indeed having a very good dream. Shays' eyes flickered open at the noise, his arm tightening around you as he looked down to see you peering under the cover. Your eyes danced as you looked up to meet his gaze, slightly blushing as you could only imagine what had been running through his head.

"Good dream?"

"Mmmm, very good love."

You gasped as he grabbed your hand and placed it on his bulge, making your fingers squeeze tightly.

"Here?! Now? We cant... The driver could see...."

You were very aware of the window that separated you and the driver that only had its curtain partially drawn, as Shay gave you a seductive smile and pulled up your legs to drape over his lap.

"He won't see, we've got the blanket, you'll just have to be extra quiet."

His voice was low and full of lust as he pulled off your boots, then tugged at the buttons of your trousers, sliding them down your legs and dropping them to the floor. He pulled up the blanket and tucked it under your arm so that he could see your half-naked body, but still shielding you from any unwanted glances.

"Surely you want to know what I was dreaming about, don't ya lass?"

Your eyes widened as he parted your legs and guided your free hand between them, pressing your fingers over your mound. You bit your lip as a heavy blush swept over your face, your fingers automatically trailing through your crease as you watched him tug open his own trousers, taking his throbbing shaft in his hand, giving it long slow strokes. His grip tightened as he watched you press a finger into yourself, collecting the wetness and moving back up to your nub, flicking and circling it gently. 

You breathed harshly through your nose as you pressed your lips hard together to stop any noise passing them, dipping two fingers inside yourself deeply before moving back to your tingling bundle of nerves, your hand now running more frantically as you watched Shay work over himself, who was now rubbing the leaking drips of his arousal over his tip, your rapidly building climax approaching breaking point.  
Shay grinned as you threw your head back and gasped, a strangled moan erupting as your orgasm flowed throughout you, your body tensing and jerking uncontrollably.

When he was sure that you had finished, he leaned over and wrapped one arm around your back, the other under your knees, lifting you into his lap and making you whimper into his ear as he slowly and carefully lowered you onto him, impaling you fully. He swallowed hard as your walls instinctively squeezed around him, sending a spike of pleasure straight through his body. Your hands grasped at his chest as he began to rock his hips, the barely dying embers flickering alight again with every movement. He nudged your cheek with his nose, making you look up so he could capture your mouth with his, kissing you tenderly before whispering in your ear.

"God I love you (name), you're perfect."

Throwing your arms around him, you held him tightly as his words pushed you to your peak, your mouth finding his to help muffle your moans as the intense pleasure sunk its claws in you again, every nerve tingling, making you shudder against him. He lifted you higher to pull out of you, slipping his cock between your thighs, his whole body straining as he groaned against you, his hot fluid pumping over your legs. You melted against him as he took a handkerchief out of his pocket, gently cleaning himself off of you before pulling the blanket higher over you both.

You sighed contentedly as you gazed up at him, raising your hand to caress his cheek.

"I love you too. Did we live up to your dream?"

Shay chuckled as he leaned over to pick up your trousers, lifting your hips gently so you could pull them back on.

"That was far better than any dream lass."

 

 

You felt the carriage grind to a halt, the driver knocking on the wall signalling for you to get out, Shay jumping out first, extending his hand to help you down, making you giggle. You stared up at the moonlight peeking through the trees, your heart going heavy as you saw Shays expression go sombre.

"Let's get this over with lass, the faster, the better."

You both immediately broke into a sprint, splitting up as you scaled the tree's swiftly, jumping and swinging between the branches towards the Homestead. Using your vision, you scouted the grounds below, and just as Haytham said, it was barren of any people. Looking to your left, you saw Shay gesture towards the manor, and continue creeping through the trees and leaping down to hide in the bushes below. Something wasn't right, you'd had an unnerving feeling since you stepped onto the grounds. Jumping down to join Shay into the bushes, laying your hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"It shouldn't be this quiet...."

"Aye lass. But maybe lucks on our side for a change. C'mon, if we climb up the stables, we can jump to the roof from there."

Creeping as quietly as you could through the brush, you swiftly pulled yourself up to the top of the stable, taking a run up and vaulting over to the manor, only just catching the edge of the roof. Turning to see Shay follow you as you hoisted yourself up, your eyes widened as you saw him falter as he jumped, reaching out as far as you could, knowing he wasn't going to make it.

An agonising pain shot throughout your arm and shoulder as you heard a loud pop, at the same moment you caught the captains hand, his weight nearly pulling you off the roof. Throwing your other arm out as you lay on your front, you managed to pull him up enough to grasp onto the ledge, rolling around in silent agony as he lifted himself next to you. Shay immediately sat you up, his face full of worry as his hand gently pressed on your slumped shoulder, cursing and growling to himself as he whispered.

"Shit. It's dislocated lass. I can fix it, but its gonna hurt. A lot."

You nodded furiously as you put your hand to your face and pulled your glove off with your teeth, stuffing it into your mouth to stifle your cries. A tear rolled down your cheek, and you whimpered as he lay one hand on your shoulder, the other wrapped around your wrist, pressing and pulling hard quickly. He pulled your head to his chest and gently stroked your hair for a moment, before tilting your chin up and wiping the tear from your cheek as you spat the glove out.

"God, I'm sorry (name), can you carry on?"

Wincing slightly and pulling your glove back on as you got up, you forced a grin and poked him in the chest, your eyes flickering to something in the distance to your left.

"I think so. You weigh a ton you know that?"

He pulled you gently in his arms, stroking your hair and brushing his lips against yours. 

"That's my girl."

"Hmmm, now we know why there's no one about."

Shays' eyes followed to where you were pointing to the docks, to see two ships and a lot of people bustling about.

"Best take the advantage while we've got it then. They're most likely getting ready to sail to the precursor site, so we haven't got long. You sure you're okay?"

You smirked as you slid off the roof and onto the balcony below, flicking out your hidden blade to pry the double doors open. Quickly scouring through the draws and desks in Achilles room and coming up empty handed so far, you turned to the captain who had whispered your name, to see him at another desk and holding the necklace you were looking for.

Not even having a chance to reply, you froze for a second as you heard the click of the door, just managing to hide yourself behind it as it opened.

"Shay? I must admit, you are the last person I thought the Templars would send, given what happened the last time you stole from me."

You held your breath and leaned slightly to your side as Achilles voice rang through the room, just enough so you could see Shay, but not be spotted. He was stood with one hand behind his back with the key in his grasp, his face twisted in rage. You could see him tapping his leg with his finger, that was his signal for you to stay put.

"Well Achilles, always gotta send your best. An I will not let you murder any more people by going to another of these precursor sites!"

The second Shays finger stopped tapping, you pulled up your gas mask and stepped out from behind the door, hurling a smoke bomb straight at Achilles' feet. Watching the captain jump out the window, you ran to the desk and grabbed the papers he hadn't managed to take, and stuffed them in your waistcoat before quickly following suit, the smoke starting to dissipate.

You ran furiously to catch Shay up, he had climbed the trees to escape, but with your arm the way it was, there was no way you could follow. Looking behind you quickly, you pushed yourself to the limit as you saw three assassins slowly gaining on you, guns drawn.

The stitch in your side making breathing more difficult, a wash of relief spread over you as you spied a horse wandering around just ahead. You skidded to a halt as you approached the horse, grabbing its reins, holding tightly as it bolted at the sound of a gunshot rang out. Your eyes widened as you saw Shay jump down from the trees in the same moment, putting himself between you, and the bullet that was screaming towards you, crying out as you saw him drop to the ground and clutch his leg. 

Keeping hold of the horse with your good arm, you extended your other, grimacing in pain as you helped him get up and clamber on the horse, before jumping up yourself and immediately going into a fast gallop.

When you thought you were far enough away from the Homestead, you stopped and dismounted, helping Shay down and sitting him up against a nearby tree. You flicked out your blade and cut open his trousers to see the wound that was bleeding profusely, the bullet had gone straight through his thigh.

"You want me again already love?."

You scowled at his feeble attempt at humour, and furiously pulled the belt from around your coat and tied it tightly around his leg, in an effort to stop the bleeding.

"That was stupid of you! It was a bad shot, it would have missed me!"

"Wasn't gonna take that chance (name), I would gladly do it again too."

You kissed him gently as your heart swelled, then winced as the pain in your shoulder returned as the adrenaline rushing through your veins started to wear off.

"We better keep moving, the Assassins won't be far behind. There's a tavern not far from here, it should be busy enough for us to keep out of sight. You think you can manage another ride?"

He grimaced as he attempted to stand, you quickly threw his arm around over your shoulders and bore most of his weight as you stumbled to where the horse had wandered off to.

"Don't ya dare tell anyone I rode side saddle love, I've got a reputation to protect."

You grinned and threw him a cheeky wink as you sat in front of him, pulling his arms around your waist as you galloped off towards the tavern. 

The ride took longer than you thought, your face creased with worry as you helped the now very pale captain down, slowly making your way into the inn. After paying the keeper a rather hefty amount of coin to keep his mouth shut, you dragged Shay into the room you had procured and helped him lay on the bed. A few seconds later, you turned at the sound of someone clearing their throat behind you.

"I was told you needed a doctor?"

You nodded and gestured for the man to come in, eyeing him up quickly. He was very tall and gangly, his glasses perched haphazardly on the end of his nose, and far too young in your opinion. Moving to the other side of the bed as the man began sorting out his instruments, you grasped Shays hand, letting him know you were there as he drifted in and out of consciousness. "The doctors here now, everything's going to be alright."

"You will need to hold him down, this will be painful."

Pressing as hard as you could on his torso and knee, the doctor pushed the heated blade against Shays' leg, making him scream out uncontrollably, your hot tears now flowing freely down your face.

"Your husband should be fine now, get him to take two drops of this every four hours for the next few days." You didn't bother correcting him as you took a small blue vial out of his hand, and replaced it with several coins.

"Take off your coat."

Looking back up at the doctor, you stared at him confusedly as he stood there waiting with his hands on his hips.

"I haven't got all day. I can't take a look at your shoulder unless you take your coat off."

You hissed through your teeth as you shrugged your coat off, only to whimper as the doctor pulled and prodded at the throbbing joint. "It's properly in place, but you need to rest it, a few days minimum."

Scowling as he held his hand out, you slapped another coin in his hand, grimacing when he tied a sling around your neck as you turned your attention back to Shay. You stroked his cheek and pulled the blanket over his unconscious form, stifling another sob as you sat at the desk and pulled out a quill and paper. Quickly fashioning a brief letter, you studied it for a moment and decided it was at least legible considering you wrote it with the wrong hand. It contained everything Kenway needed to know; you had the documents and key, where you were, that you were unable to travel as Shay was injured and the Assassins would be looking for you.

Rummaging around through the desk, you finally found an envelope, and headed back out to the bar to see the keeper. Growling as he demanded more payment to send your letter with his messenger, you finally gave in, not wanting to cause attention to yourself as you spied several soldiers enter the bar. You hurriedly made your way back to your room and locked the door behind you, wondering where you were going to sleep as there was only one small bed. Kicking off your boots, you pulled the chair as close as you could next to the bed, managing to get semi-comfortable and holding Shays hand as you yawned heavily, exhaustion finally overwhelming you.

 

Two days later, you were pacing the room, starting to become claustrophobic. You had only ventured out of the room to either get food, or to speak with the keep to see if the messenger had come back, and to your dismay, he hadn't. Walking over to the desk, you opened the vial left by the doctor, and carefully spilt two drops into Shays' mouth, kissing him briefly as he mumbled your name in his sleep. Placing the bottle back down, you slumped into the nearby chair and pulled the blanket over you, attempting to sleep again through the gnawing pain in your shoulder.

 

You had barely closed your eyes when you heard a click behind you, jumping up and drawing your sword with your good arm, you turned to see Haytham walk through the door. Sheathing your weapon, you frowned as you walked towards him, your voice a low whisper.

"Took your time."

Haytham stiffened as you glared at him, frowning as he took in your injured shoulder.

"There are assassins everywhere looking for you. I came as quickly as I could without being seen. Your letter did not mention that you were injured also. What happened to Captain Cormac?"

You jumped as you heard Shay speak behind you, you rushed over and sat on the edge of the bed, helping him to sit up.

"Jumped in front of a bullet for her. Master Kenway."

Haythams eyebrows rose in surprise, watching intently as you gently helped the captain get dressed. 

"I see. The carriage is waiting, we must make haste before anyone notices I am here. You have the key and documents?"

You nodded as Haytham took your place in holding Shay up, grabbing the items from a chest under the bed, and following the men outside.

 

You gently smiled as you stroked Shays hair, his head in your lap as the medicine the doctor had provided began to kick in again. Glancing up slightly, you looked at Kenway who had been staring at your hand ever since you had got in the wagon, not saying a single word until now.

"I realise that we will never be what we were (name), but could we be at least amicable?"

You frowned as you looked up at him properly, his face filled with hope.

"I will never forgive you for what you did, but a suppose I can be civil. And don't you dare blame Shay for what's happened. That was all you."

Haytham sighed as he sunk back in his seat, taking off his hat and dropping it next to him as he rubbed his temples. "I understand."

"I will be staying with Shay on the Morrigan from now on if you would kindly take us there when we get back?"

"It would be better if you stayed at the manor. Until you are healed at least, you will recover faster with better care."

Your head lowered at his logic, a bath and a hot meal did sound good anyway.

"Fine, but only till we're better."

 

You looked up from your drawing as the door opened, Gist walking in quietly, his face full of concern. Flipping the parchment over, you got up and walked over to his outstretched arms, smiling as he held you gently, careful not to push up against your arm.

"Sorry it took so long for me to get here lass, I only just got back. How are you both?"

"Better. I can take this infernal thing off tomorrow, and Shays' leg is healing nicely."

Christopher let go of you, grinning as he brushed his knuckles against your chin, looking over at the captain. "He's always gotta be the hero. Go get something to eat dear, I'll keep an eye on him."

Nodding as you quickly kissed his cheek, you quietly left the room as your stomach grumbled at the thought of food. Gist sat down at the desk, propping his legs up on the edge as he flipped over the pieces of paper, his eyes widening at the somewhat risque sketches of you and the captain.

"Gist, finally glad you could make it. What ya got there?"

Christopher turned to see Shay sit up, and gingerly moving his leg to perch on the edge of the bed. Giving him a sly wink, he flipped through the drawings and pulled one out the middle, turning it so he could see it.

"When you're healed captain, I suggest you start with this one, it's supposed to be quite good."

Shays' mouth dropped, speechless as his eyes flitted over the paper.

"Rather talented is your lady captain, you're very lucky."

Cormac grinned from ear to ear as his heart beat furiously, not because of the picture, but at the thought of you at his side.

"Aye that I am mate. Now get me outta this blasted bed and take me to her."

Gist chuckled as he got up from the desk, holding Shay up as he limped downstairs to where you were waiting.


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh my god, why is it so hot?!"

You slumped over the kitchen table, sighing as the hardwood cooled your cheek slightly. Looking up at Flo who was sat in the chair next to you, you couldn't help but feel a pang of envy as she wafted herself with the fan she had brought with her.

"I have no idea dearie, in all my days I've never known heat quite like it."

Dragging yourself up, you pulled up the bottom of your shirt and wiped away the beads of sweat that were dripping from your brow, then walked over to where the keg was and poured two mugs of ale. Flo's eyebrows rose in surprise as you handed her one of the tankards, usually, staff aren't permitted to drink while they're working.

"I won't tell if you don't."

Winking at her and clanging the mugs together, you both swiftly knocked back its contents, sighing as the dark liquid soothed your parched mouth and throat.

"I'm gonna go back outside Flo, see if the breeze has picked up any. If you see Shay can you tell him where I am?"

"Okay dearie, I supposed I best get on with making dinner anyway."

You made your way out of the side door, cursing to the cloudless sky as the sun glared overhead, and no hint of wind. Hearing the clanging of swords, you walked down the side of the house towards the training grounds, stopping next to a tree in the shade as you saw Kenway and Lee sparring. Stepping behind the trunk as not to be seen, you poked your head around just far enough so your gaze could land on Haytham.

Your eyes widened as they flickered over his topless body, glistening as the sweat dripped off him, every taught muscle rolling and flexing as he parried against Lee. You pulled back quickly when you thought you saw him smile, pressing yourself hard against the wall as you tried to slow your now slightly faster breathing.

Cursing yourself under your breath, you frowned as your stomach did a little flip. You hated the man, so why was your body being so treacherous?! You supposed under different circumstances, you might have still been together, you did find him attractive, or you wouldn't have been with him in the first place. Shaking your head to clear the unwanted thoughts out, you grinned as your stomach fluttered wildly when Shay flickered through your mind. Speaking of which, he should be back anytime soon, so you decided you had better get ready. Poking your head around the tree again, you saw that the men had gone, thankful that they hadn't seen you spying on them. Turning around to make your way back to the kitchen, you yelped out as you crashed straight into Haytham, who was still shirtless, with a sly grin on his face.

"See something you like my dear?"

You scowled as you remembered him saying that to you once before, making you quiver where you stood, this time it was venom to your ears.

"Most definitely not. Please excuse me, Sir, I need to get changed."

You were halted in your tracks as he put his hand on the wall, moving in closer to you and blocking your way.

"Come now (name) do not pretend you weren't watching me, I saw you."

Your heart was beating furiously now as he stood right in front of you, putting his other hand on the wall, trapping you between them.

"I was merely watching your fighting style, nothing more. Now please let me go."

You pressed yourself harder against the wall, wishing it would swallow you up as his face moved closer to yours, stopping about an inch away, his breath hot on your now flustered cheek.

"Really. That wasn't what it looked like to me. Even now, your body is saying differently."

You turned your head away and clenched your fists as his eyes drifted over you hungrily, licking his lips suggestively. Swallowing hard, you managed to calm yourself down by remembering your father, and what Kenway did to him, your fluster turning to anger. You faced him again with as much resentment as you could muster, your voice now in a low growl.

"You are mistaken, Sir, now let me go!"

Haythams eyes widened as he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, pulling and throwing him to the ground a few feet away. Standing back up and brushing himself off, he looked up to see Shay, his face twisted in rage.

"What the hell is going on?!? (Name) are you alright love?

You nodded as the Shay turned to you, then flicked back to Kenway, stepping towards him menacingly. Haytham smirked as he brushed a blade of grass off his shoulder his gaze drifting over the captain's shoulder, staring directly at you.

"Why don't you ask your woman captain. It seems that she still harbours feelings for me."

You unintentionally flicked out your blade as Shay turned to you, eyes narrowing and your voice filled with bitterness. 

"I do NOT!"

Haytham chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders and turned to walk away, apparently amused at your outburst.

"If you say so, my dear. Oh and Captain? Grab me like that again, and it will be the last thing you ever do."

Flicking your wrist again to retract your blade as you watched Kenway disappear from view, you smiled slightly as you felt Shays' hands rest on your shoulders. Your smile dropped as you looked up at his face, his eyes filled with concern.

"Do you? Still have feelings for him?"

"If you count wanting to stab someone in their sleep feelings, then yes, I guess I do."

You burst out into laughter at the exact same time, slightly squirming as Shay wrapped his arms around you and kissed your head.

"Ewwww don't, I'm all hot and sticky."

Shay pulled away slightly as he tried to brush away the hair that was stuck to your head, winking at you seductively.

"That didn't bother you the other night love."

You bit your bottom lip and grinned as the events from a few days ago filled your head, that did indeed leave you as if you had just gotten out of the bath.

"Behave, that's entirely different, and you know it. How in gods name can you wear all of that in this weather?!"

Glancing over him, you finally noticed that he was still wearing his usual attire, coat and all, not even breaking out in a sweat. He grinned at you as he tickled down your side, making you writhe against him.

"You're the only thing that can make me hot enough to take all this off, lass."

You burst out laughing as you shook your head, wondering where he got his witty retort from.

"I can't tell at all that you've been with Christopher for nearly a week! Speaking of, you've not said where we're going?"

Shay pulled your arm through his, and started walking back to the manor so you could get changed for the upcoming trip.

"North Atlantic love. There's rumours of a hidden blueprint there that we could use to make the Morrigan stronger in battle."

Your eyebrows rose in surprise as you walked through the kitchen, giggling as you watched Flo lean back from the counter to admire Shays rear as you walked by.

"A treasure hunt then?"

"Aye, something like that. Although I've already got the most precious treasure in the world."

You rolled your eyes as he smirked, letting your arm go as you reached the stairs leading to your temporary room. You grabbed his hand as he turned to walk back to the kitchen and wait for you, giving him a cheeky wink.

"You just get worse and worse! And oh no you don't, you're coming to help me pack."

 

 

Pulling your coat around you tighter as you glanced over the top deck of the Morrigan, you turned back to Shay who was at the wheel, chucking at your shivering.

"What?! It's bloody freezing out here!"

You stuck your tongue out as you walked over and pressed yourself up against him, his arm wrapping around you, your shivering slowing a fraction as he rubbed your back.

"Too hot, too cold, are you ever satisfied love?"

You wiggled your eyebrows suggestively which made him chuckle and tighten his grip around you, before turning to the commotion on the other side of the ship.

"What's going on down there?"

Shay turned to where you were looking, squinting his eyes slightly to see through the light fog that was surrounding you.

"Ah just a bit of fighting for prize money lass, helps the crew pass the time."

Your face lit up as Shay turned back to you, staring at you with mock disapproval.

"Not a chance, can't have you beating up half my crew before we get to where we're going."

"Awww please?"

Shay chuckled as you pouted, and called his second mate over to relieve him at the wheel. Talking to him for a minute or so, he finally grabbed your hand and led you down the deck.

"You know I can't say no when you look at me like that."

"Hmmm, I'll have to remember that."

You giggled to yourself as you turned your attention to the two men who were fighting inside a circle of the crew, recognising the one who was winning immediately. Frederick, or Fred as you heard some of the men called him, was one of the older members of the crew. He stood at some six feet tall, definitely built for ship life, and made his disdain of a woman being on the ship quite well known. Pushing your way into the circle as the crew cheered at Fred's victory, you stared at the foreboding man, watching him spit on the floor as everyone went quiet when he finally saw you.

"What you want?"

You grinned as you undid your coat to let you move more freely, your eyes flickering to the left to see Shay stood amongst the crowd, with his arms crossed winking at you.

"Mind if I have a go? Fred?"

"Only ma mates call me that, an yes I do mind. I ain't fightin no woman."

Putting your hands on your hips and sighing as half the crew booed, the others laughing, your smile never faltered as you knew how you could entice him into wanting to fight.

"Oh come now, surely your not afraid of little old me?"

"Fine. Just don't go runnin' to the capt'n when ya get 'urt."

Fred froze for a moment as he heard Shay call out, frantically looking around as he obviously didn't know he was stood in the crowd watching.

"Just go easy on him love, he's one of my best deckhands."

"Er? Go easy on me? Surely you mean that tha other way round capt'n?"

Shay erupted in laughter, passing something to the man on his left. "I've got two coins on the lass, any takers?"

You clenched your hands behind your back as the crew erupted in banter, mostly cheering for Fred, as he raised his fists, advancing towards you.

"C'mon then, ain't ya gonna defend yerself?"

You quickly sidestepped as he lunged towards you, smirking as Fred's weight made him skid past you, crashing into one of the crew. Watching Fred growl as he lunged at you again, you stuck your foot out, tripping him up and making him fall to the ground.

"Enough of these games! Either fight me or not girl!"

Chuckling as you raised your fists, you had managed to enrage the man enough to ensure that it was going to be a decent fight. He was strong, but his size made him considerably slower than you were, making dodging his attacks easy, not letting him land a single punch on you while you snuck in perfect punches under his guard. Getting bored of letting him think he could win, you saw your chance to make him rethink his ideas about you being on the ship. Ducking down underneath his jab, you managed to strike a heavy blow straight in his gut, making him double over as he tried to catch his breath. You brought your knee up straight after, catching him square in the jaw, feeling his teeth clatter against your leg.

The whole ship went silent as Fred slumped to the ground, raising his arm in defeat. You stared at him as he managed to pick himself up, spitting blood on the ground and glaring at you, before throwing one arm around your shoulders, the other coming up to rub his knuckles on your head.

"Not bad, fer a girl!"

You grinned as the crew cheered, Shay pushing past the men to pull you in arms, swooping you over and kissing you. Giggling at all the wolf whistles from the men as he brought you back up, you nodded at Fred, who was now smiling at you instead of scowling.

"Seems like you got the favour of my men lass. Earnt me a few coins too, I'll be sure to get you something nice when we get back."

Pressing yourself hard against him, a smile crept over your face as your fingers drifted down his chest and over his leg, scraping the inside of his thigh.

"I'd prefer you repay me in another way, if you're not busy right now?"

Shays devilish grin was all the confirmation you needed as you grabbed his arm, close to running as you lead him over the deck to your quarters.

 

 

You pulled up your hood as the snow began to fall, staring out at the frost covered dock in front of you.

"So.... Where is this blueprint supposed to be then?"

"From what I was told, there's a cave not too far from here, with a chest cleverly hidden behind a clear ice wall lass."

Staring up at the sky, you were thankful that you were about to head underground as the dark clouds that loomed above threatened to empty their contents in one swoop.

"Well come on then. I swear you love that ship as much as you do me."

You looked back at Shay, who chuckled and shook his head before trudging through the deep snow, making your way to what seemed like an impervious stone wall. Using your vision, you quickly found the entrance to the cave, ducking down as the opening was barely shoulder height. Finally managing to stand up straight, you promptly navigated the small corridor, your eyes widening as you walked into the cave.

A few small openings in the roof of the cave illuminated it slightly, making the ice-covered walls twinkle and sparkle. There were numerous crevices and pillars, a thin sheet of glistening snow on the ground, and a small stream running through the middle of the room. You stood pondering how the water hadn't frozen in this temperature, when you suddenly froze at a movement to your left.

Nudging Shays' arm, you nodded over to where the polar bear had just slumped down, trying to be as silent as possible as you edged towards a large rock to conceal yourself.

"Now what?"

You crouched down as you watched Shay thinking intently on what to do, when your foot slipped on the icy ground, knocking a pebble into the stream with a splash. You both jumped up as the bear rose from where it was laying, growling as it moved to your position, picking up its pace quickly.

With barely any time to think, you ran to one of the stone pillars and leapt up, just catching the edge and managing to hoist yourself on top of it, turning back to see Shay hadn't been able to get away.

Quickly pulling out a dagger from your boot, you hurled it at the white beast, making it howl and turn its attention to you as it sunk deep in its hind quarter. You braced yourself as it came hurtling towards you, but without anything to grab onto, you were thrown straight off the pillar as the bear collided into it, the wind knocking out of your lungs as you crashed straight to the ground.

You couldn't quite hear what Shay was yelling as you got up, looking around furiously for a way of escaping the bear, who was now coming out of its daze. Stepping backwards, you realised you were now pressed up against a wall of ice, with nowhere to go as the bear began to advance on you, baring its teeth and snarling. Drawing your swords, you turned around quickly, and slammed one into the ice above you, pulling yourself up and thrusting the next in even higher, using them to climb out of the way just in time as the teeth snapped to where your legs were.

Just as you managed to bring your legs up and push yourself away from the wall to flip over the bear, a gunshot rang out, the white monster dropping to the floor and staining the snow crimson as you landed. You shielded your eyes as the noise from the shot made several small rocks and pieces of ice fall from the ceiling missing you by inches.

"Well, that was fun."

You smirked as Shay walked over to you, his eyes roaming over your body, checking for injuries, giving you a lopsided grin when he saw there were none.

"You an I have very different ideas about what's fun lass."

"Not every day you get to survive a walking mountain of teeth! Help me get my swords back?

Shay moved to underneath where your swords were as he chuckled, crouching slightly as he laced his fingers together, pushing you up as you stepped into them, latching on to your swords. Tugging the highest one out, you dropped it to the floor and pulled on the other, scowling as it refused to budge. Grasping hold of it with both hands, you yanked hard, making you fall backwards as it finally came free, Shay just managing to catch you in his arms, saving you from a nasty fall.

"We've already tried this position love."

You gently punched him in his arm as he dropped your feet, grinning at him as you picked up your fallen sword, and sheathing them both.

"I seem to remember enjoying it a lot too. Now, let's find this chest shall we? Before more fangs come looking for us."

You split up as you searched the room using your vision to try and spot the elusive chest when something caught your eye. Looking up at the odd stone pillar set on top of a ledge on the far back wall, you noticed that it was slightly twinking with an eerie blue light. You made a mental note of it as you heard Shay call out, briskly walking over to where he was, looking over a ledge.

"Think this is it love, stand back."

You moved to the side of him and put your fingers in your ears as he pulled his launcher off his back, and loaded it with a shrapnel grenade, aiming at the ice wall down below.

You jumped as it exploded, your eyes widening in fear as you felt Shays arms wrap around you and pull you under a ledge when the ground began to shake, large rocks and chunks of ice plummeted from the walls and ceiling. When they had finally ceased falling, you both looked around, stopping and staring at the same spot, frowning as you saw the entrance was now blocked with several rocks and chunks of ice.

"Well, that's just grand. Beginning to regret coming here now." 

Shay growled as he loosened his grip on you, brushing the snow off your head before jumping down to where the now excavated chest was.

"Please tell me this wasn't all for nothing?!"

You breathed a sigh of relief as you helped him climb back up, glancing over the sketchings he was holding as he unfolded them carefully. 

"I'll pretend I know what I'm looking at."

Shay chuckled as he folded them back up, tucking them safely in his coat before turning his attention back to the rubble that was blocking your way out.

"Daren't use another grenade on it, might make the whole place come tumbling down. Guess we'll just have to wait for the crew to come when they realise we've been gone so long."

You sighed as you paced across the ledge, rubbing your arms as the cold was beginning to sink in now that you weren't moving around as much. The corner of your mouth twitched as you spied the odd pillar again, grabbing Shays arm to follow you as your curiosity got the better of you.

"Might as well have a look at this while we're waiting."

The captain looked very confused as you began to climb up the lower pillar, leaping from ledge to ledge until you made it up to where the totem was.

"What is it, lass?"

You stopped at a large stone just in front of the pillar, your fingers gently tracing over the small levers that were on top of it, before slowly pushing one forwards. Jumping back as you heard a grinding sound, you looked up to see one part of the pillar twisting around, and stopping with a thud. You whispered as quietly as you could, fearing any kind of sound would make something disastrous happen.

"I have no idea. It must be something important though, for it to be hidden all the way out here."

Shay joined you next to the stone, staring intently up at the pillar, trying to figure out how it worked. You suddenly remembered you were using your vision when you first spotted it, you closed your eyes and concentrated, opening them again to see glowing blue lines running all the way up of the chunks of stone.

"I can see something, a puzzle maybe?"

Shay followed suit as he saw your eyes flickering over the column, and pushed another of the leavers, which turned the middle piece, making the lines match up with the one above it. A few random pushes later, you jumped back as the lines finally matched up, the ground beginning to rumble and the stone splitting cleanly in two as if lighting had struck it.

You walked over to the hidden compartment that had been revealed at the bottom of the pillar, and picked up the metallic object, passing it to Shay.

"A key? Weird place to put something like this."

"Aye lass, we'll take it with us, maybe we can find more about it when we get back to Boston. Speaking of, best have a look and see if that last shake opened up a way out." 

You followed him back down the stones to the ground, and glanced around as Shay stood looking the key again in the slightly better light. A grin spread over your face as you looked at the pile of snow on the ground, scooping some up and squashing it into a small ball. Slowly moving to the back of the captain, you pulled back the collar of his shirt, and dropped it straight down his back, making him yelp in surprise.

"Haha! Revenge is mine!"

Bursting out into a fit of laughter as Shay pulled his shirt out and made the ball drop to the ground, you suddenly stopped as he flashed you a wicked grin.

"Oh, you're gonna regret that love."

You planted your feet firmly on the ground, but it did little good as he lunged towards you, tackling you to the ground, making you squeal as he tickled you furiously. You rolled around trying to get out of his grasp, but he was relentless, only stopping when you both struggled to catch your breaths through your laughing.

Finally catching his breath as he gazed into your eyes, he pressed his lips against yours gently, sliding his arm underneath you and holding you tight, making a little moan erupt from your throat. Tugging your arm free from between you, you slipped your hand under his coat, grabbing his rear and pulling him hard against you, making him pull away slightly and smile against your lips.

"What is it with you women and my ass?"

You grinned and nudged your nose against his, making him open his eyes, watching them darken as he looked at you.

"What? You do have a lovely ass. Now shut up and kiss me."

He chuckled as his mouth descended on yours again, more passionate this time, nibbling on your bottom lip and making you part them, so his tongue could swim over yours. You whimpered as he pulled the top few buttons of your shirt undone, just enough so he could slide his hand in and caress your breast, his cold fingers making you goosebump and your peaks harden instantly. 

Pushing him slightly to the side of you, you managed to snake your hand under his shirt and drag your nails down his back, making him shudder against you. Shay took advantage of you shifting him slightly, by moving his hand from underneath your shirt, proceeding down to your trousers and tugging them open, making sure that your coat was between you and the ground before pushing them down over your hips. Your breaths were rapid as his mouth left yours, opening your eyes and looking down between your legs to watching him scoop up a bit of snow, and crimp it flat before pushing it gently inside of you.

You gasped as the icy cold mingled with the heat of your walls, sending shudders throughout you as it melted and dripped down between your legs. Scooping up the drops of water with his fingers, he massaged them over your crease, skimming over your already throbbing bundle of nerves, making your back arch and your toes curl.

Moving entirely off of you, he flipped you over onto your stomach and wrapped an arm around you, pulling you up until you were on your hands and knees. You turned your head slightly, to see him tug open his trousers and kneel behind you, and position himself at your slick entrance, pressing forwards gently.

You sighed as his hands hooked around your hips and began slowly thrusting, pulling out to nearly the tip before plunging back in deeply, your breaths quickening as the dull ache in your abdomen began to grow. Not satisfied at you not being close to him, Shay leant forwards and wrapped an arm around you, and pulled you up, so your back was pressed firmly against his chest, burying his face in your neck as he continued moving against you.

Your arm instinctively came up to reach around his head, panting hard as he sucked on the sensitive spot just above your collarbone, he gently growled as you began to tighten around him, savouring every squeeze that made waves of pleasure unfurl throughout him.

As his hips began to judder, the sensation of his hot climax filling you pushed you to your own peak, screaming his name as the ripples of pleasure tore through you with such ferocity, everything went dark for a moment.

Shay quickly pushed you forwards, so you fell back onto your hands, laying on top of you to shield you from the rocks and ice that were now falling again, your echoing scream having set off another tremor.

He pulled you back up as the deafening tumbling finally stopped, holding you tightly as you both tried to slow your still your rapid climax induced breaths. You grinned as your eyes flickered to the entrance, the small quake had made the rocks tumble down, revealing the way out again.

"Wow, I didn't think we were good enough to make the earth move."

Shay chuckled as he spotted what you were looking at, before peppering kisses over your cheek, mumbling something under his breath.

"An Bpósfaidh tú mé?"

Your eyebrows raised in confusion, as you turned to look at him, noticing he was slightly more flustered that he was a moment ago.

"What did you say?"

He brushed his lips against as his grip around you loosened, clearing his throat as his gaze drifted back to the entrance.

"Nothing love, just thinking out loud. Cmon let's get outta here before we freeze to death."

You giggled when he pressed a handkerchief between your legs as he pulled out of you, grateful that he had taken up the habit of always carrying one recently.

"Are you kidding? I'm warmer now than I was back in Boston."

A devilish grin crept up over his face as you both quickly fixed your clothing, and making your way back through the corridor towards the Morrigan.


	11. Chapter 11

You chewed your lip nervously as your felt Shays grip on your hands loosen slightly, then kiss you on your cheek before fully letting go.

"See, nothing to be afraid of love, you're doing a grand job."

A small smile crept over your face as you were now solely holding the wheel to the Morrigan, quickly turning into a grin as you saw Gist bounding up the stairs, his eyes widening with amusement.

"After the captains' job dear?"

You giggled as he nudged you in the arm, before flickering your eyes to Shay, who was now yawning profusely.

"You would love that, wouldn't ya mate. Anyway, now you're here, I'm gonna head down and close my eyes for a bit. Didn't sleep a wink last night with a certain someone thievin' all the blankets."

You grinned sheepishly as Shay kissed you on the head, and headed down the stairs towards the cabin. Gist moved to stand next to you, watching you intently as you steered the ship smoothly through the Atlantic waters as if you had been doing it your entire life.

"Seems like you were made for sailing lass, it there anything you can't do?"

Giggling as he turned to lean on the rail, satisfied enough you weren't going to crash the ship, you spun the wheel slightly so the crew could haul some floating cargo out of the water.

"Playing mans morris! I'm terrible at it, always lose. Other than that? Guess I'm just a fast learner."

"Ah the lady does have a weakness then. Well maybe we could rectify that, I'm not a bad player, maybe I could teach you?"

You grinned and nodded in his direction, not daring to take your eyes off the sea as a few rogue bits of debris came into view, your eyes flickering to the left as you saw a random splash in the otherwise calm water.

"I'd like that, thank you. Hopefully, it will save me from a few morning headaches! What on earth was that??"

Christopher picked up the spyglass and turned to where you were pointing, smirking as the same splash happened again.

"Shark my dear. I better get the captain, we're running low on provisions, and it's still another week till we get back to Boston. Will you be okay by yourself for a minute?"

You nodded as he put the glass down and jumped down the stairs, thankful that it was him waking Shay just after he'd gone to sleep and not you. Turning the wheel gently to aim towards the prey, you winced as you heard the cabin door slam, and a very grumpy captain walk out onto the deck. His frown soon melted away as he saw you steering the ship alone, his face beaming with pride as he called for the men to ready the whaling boat.

Shielding your eyes as you watched over the bow, you grinned as you saw Shay gracefully hurl another harpoon straight into the side of the shark, its movements stopping, signalling that it was dead. It took a while, but they finally managed to haul the ferocious beast aboard, your eyes widening as you saw it was some five meters long.

"That'll do us till we get back! Ever had shark love?"

You turned to Shay as he pulled himself over the rail, tugging his gloves off that were now sodden with sea water, and looking even more exhausted.

"No, but I'll try anything once, I'm not difficult when it comes to food. Now go and get some sleep, before you collapse right here on the deck. I don't fancy having to drag you."

Not even attempting to argue with you, you gave a little yelp as he placed a cold hand on your cheek, kissing you briefly as he chuckled, and made his way back to the cabin.

 

A several days later, you were sat in the galley with Gist, growling at the board in front of you. Pushing your now cold shark stew out of the way, you placed your finger on one of the tokens and began sliding it across the line. You looked up as Gist cleared his throat, shaking his head and smirking. Moving the piece back to where it was, you slumped down on the stool with an exasperated sigh.

"I'll never get the hang if this. Told you I'm terrible."

"Just takes a bit of practice lass, try again."

You propped your elbows on the edge of the table and stared at the infernal game again, while Gist got up and grabbed a bottle and two mugs from behind him. Pouring them both half full, he passed one to you before sitting back down and propping his legs up on the edge of the table. Taking a long swallow of the spicy liquid, you finally moved a different piece, only for Christopher to move his and capture it seconds later.

"Awww for the love of god..."

Gist chuckled as he watched you knock back the rest of the rum, and hold out the tankard for him to fill it up again.

"You're overthinking it, this games made to be played by drunk people lass, so how about we start there?"

You giggled as you took your now full mug off him, and began collecting up all the disks to start the game again.

"Why not, might as well get some kind of enjoyment out of it!"

He took off his hat and cracked his knuckles as if to show he meant business now, as you took it in turns placing your markers on the board. Pondering something for a moment, you didn't realise it was your turn until you heard Gist call your name.

"(Name) you alright lass?"

Taking another sip of your drink to hide the blush that was creeping up your cheeks as you recalled the events in the ice cave, you cleared your throat and took your turn, frowning as you instantly realised you had made the wrong move.

"Sorry, was just thinking about something. Christopher, you've travelled a bit haven't you?"

"You might say that why?"

Pouting as he moved his counter to block the way you wanted to go, you were forced to move another, letting him immediately take your piece.

"Have you ever heard 'bohs-ee thoo may' before?"

You watched him intently as his brow furrowed in confusion, scratching his chin as he thought intently.

"No dear, can't say that I have."

Satisfied that he was telling you the truth, you let it drop, and turned your attention back to the game. You were so lost in concentration, you didn't notice one of the crew that had been stood behind Gist and eavesdropping, had bent over and whispered something in his ear quickly. Gists eyes widened, and a huge grin swept over his face as the man finished speaking, forcing his face back to neutral just before you looked up at him, leaving you none the wiser.

 

A few hours later, you were slightly tipsy, and more infuriated as half the crew had heard of your attempts to win a game of mans morris, slapping your forehead as you had just lost your fifteenth game in a row.

"That's it! I officially give up."

"Oh no ya don't girl, you've still got me to play."

You huffed as Fred sat down in front of you, collecting the pieces and refilling your nearly empty mug. You pouted as you saw Shay chuckling at you from the other side of the room before turning his attention back to Gist, who was leaning up against the wall, beaming wildly.

"C'mon out with it mate."

Christopher cleared his throat as he tried to stop smiling, but failed miserably in his attempts.

"I have no idea what you're talking about captain."

"You've been grinning at me like a cat ever since I walked in here, so come on, share the secret."

Gist fidgeted with his mug and glanced over to where you were sitting, wincing as you made yet another poor move, contemplating whether or not to reveal what he knew. He eventually decided against it, not wanting to pry in his captains' personal affairs.

"No secret Captain, just glad everything is going well for us for a change. Not seen the crew in such high spirits for a while, and Miss was telling me how happy she was earlier."

"Yes!!!"

Shay and Gist immediately turned their attention to the table, to see Fred with his head slumped on it, and you with a huge smile, finally winning at last.

"Aye mate, so am I. Although there are one or two things that could be made better."

Christopher didn't have a chance to ask what as you came bounding over, throwing your arms around both the men and hugging them tightly.

"I can't believe I finally won! Against Fred of all people, I think he doesn't like me again."

Shay laughed as he wrapped his arm tight around you and kissing your head gently, which made Gists grin return instantly as he looked at you both.

"Cmon love, time for bed, it's been a long day, and we'll be back in Boston tomorrow."

Your stifled yawn was the only answer you managed as he took your arm and led you through the deck, barely containing your giggles as he picked up the spare blanket he'd gotten from the hold on the way.

 

 

"You've gotta be joking sir."

You lay your hand on Shay's shoulder as he slumped into the chair across from Kenway, rubbing his temples firmly.

"I do not joke, Captain, as you are very well aware. The fort must be taken as soon as possible, as it is disrupting our ships that are carrying valuable cargo that is needed to fund our work here."

Snatching up the papers that Haytham slid across the table, you scanned them briefly for your next destination, letting out a small sigh as you realised it wasn't too far.

"At least it's only in River Valley."

"It'll be another day before we can go, sir, the new ram won't be finished until then."

You scowled at Haytham as his face twisted in displeasement, before walking towards the stairs that would lead him out of the Green Dragon.

"Very well. I do expect you will be prompt in leaving, as soon as you are ready to sail. Meet Mister Weeks at our headquarters in River Valley, he will have further orders for you there."

Finally relaxing slightly as Kenway left, you dropped into the chair next to Shay, somewhat worried at his hallowed complexion.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine love, just a bit tired, not been sleeping much recently."

You decided not to press the matter as to what might be troubling him as you took his hands and pulled him up, giving him a soft smile and kissing him gently.

"I can talk with Christopher about getting things ready for you tomorrow, while you get some rest if you'd like?"

"It's alright lass, let's just get this sorted, and maybe we can relax after."

 

 

You pulled your hood up as the dock for Two Bends finally came into view, the rain falling relentlessly, making you shiver to your core as the water seeped through your coat.

Following Shay as he ran up the streets towards the headquarters that had been liberated from gang control, you breathed a sigh of relief when you eventually saw Weeks, waiting for you under a shelter. Pulling your hood down and wringing your hair out now that you were undercover, you turned your attention to Weeks, who was unrolling a map for Shay on the table.

"Good to see you again Jack, its been a while."

Weeks peered over his glasses at you, smiling at your sodden form before taking your hand and kissing it with his usual deep bow.

"That it has my lady, though I wish our meeting again was under better circumstances."

You turned your attention back to the table as he let go of your hand, to see Shay staring at the map intently.

"This the fort then? To the north-west?"

"Yes. Fort Soleil. It has been sinking our cargo ships that have been running through this passage for some time now. It is heavily fortified, are you and your crew up for the task?"

Your brow furrowed in slight confusion while looking at the map, as Weeks discussed the fort's armaments with Shay.

"Jack, this may be a stupid question, but why don't you just send the ships the other way around?"

Watching him take off his spectacles and clean them on his waistcoat, you handed him back the map and pointed to another marked route in the open sea.

"Pirates my dear. Those waters are heavily filled with them. As arduous as this task is, it is easier to take one fort than barraging those relentless scoundrels. Not to mention the added benefits of having it under our control."

You nodded and let the men continue talking, looking up at the sky as a massive clap of thunder rolled overhead. If this storm didn't let up anytime soon, you knew taking the fort would be close to impossible, even with the new upgrades to the ship. You knew Shay was thinking the same thing as he nudged your arm and gently caressed your cheek as he pulled your hood back up, sighing as you both ran back to the Morrigan.

 

 

Grinning when the crew cheered, you watched the final one of the fort defences crumble to the ground as the last mortar shot hit it. You rubbed your stomach gently, it was still slightly sore after disgorging its entire contents over the rail just before the battle began. The rain had thankfully subsided, but the strong winds had made for extremely rough sailing, more than your gut was accustomed to. Walking up to where Shay was at the wheel, you pulled your hood back down and smiled as he skillfully docked the ship in the churning waters.

"Feeling any better love?"

Stepping down from the wheel so Gist could take over, the look of concern dropped from his face as you grinned at him, eager to fight.

"Yes, just never been out in a sea that rocky before! So whats the plan?"

You followed Shay to where the rope was, catching it as it swung back when he used it to jump off the ship onto the dock, following suit and landing cleanly next to him.

"They should surrender if we take out the Commander, best we find him as soon as we can. Ready?"

You smiled and nodded as you pulled your hood back up, running up the path that led to the front of the fort, flicking out your blades and quickly killing the soldiers on guard at the entrance. Splitting up as Shay signalled for you to go to higher ground, you scaled the scaffolding to the top of the wall and ran across it, keeping out of eyesight of the guards frantically running around and fighting the British below. You used your vision to try and find the Commander, your attention being pulled to the towers to the left of you instead as you growled under your breath.

"Scouts."

Knowing you had to get rid of them quickly before they spotted Shay down below, you jumped off the wall to the platform lower down, and made your way to the first tower, carefully balancing on the ropes that connected the two buildings. About halfway across, a large explosion below made your footing falter, only just managing to catch the line as you fell. Trying to control your frantic breathing, you managed to shimmy the rest of the way across and pull yourself up to the tower as the scout turned his back to you. Grabbing him and swiftly plunging your blade into his neck, you threw his body over the side, glancing over to see that you had made it just in time, as the captain ran through the fort below you towards the powder reserves.

You continued east, running between a pair of buildings, and climbed a stack of crates to clamber up higher to the larger one at the end. Jumping down to the second guard tower, you caught the roof and swung yourself forwards, kicking the guard straight in the chest, sending him plummeting to the ground below as you heard another explosion ring through the air.

Leaning over the rail, you saw Shay running through the grounds, barging his way through the few remaining guards, not even bothering to fight them, which could only mean that he had spotted the commander. Following in his direction, you clambered through the treetops and jumped down to the wooden walkway below just as Shay reached it, to be faced with the Commander, and several guards.

Pressing your back against Shays and drawing your swords as they surrounded you, you managed to take them out quickly as they advanced one by one, leaving only the captain of the fort in front of you. Managing to parry his attacks and push him back a few paces, you felt Shays' arm wrap around you and pull you out of the way as he drew his pistol, shooting the man square in the chest. Putting your hands on your knees as you slowed your breathing, you looked up to see the remaining soldiers drop their swords in defeat as they saw their commander fall to the ground.

"I can't believe things went smoothly for once."

Your brow furrowed slightly as you looked over at Shay, even though you had just had a tremendous victory, he still looked down heartened.

"Well, we do make a good pair love."

A smug grin crept over your face when he winked at you and took your arm as you made your way back to the ship, stopping for a moment to speak with the British captain who would be holding the fort from now on.

 

Waking up to an empty bed yet again, you hastily pulled on your clothes and boots, and made your way out to the upper deck, to see Gist at the wheel.

"Christopher, wheres Shay?"

Noticing the slight concern on your face, he called one of the crew over to relieve him and sat down next to you where you had perched on the steps.

"He's down in the cargo hold lass, is something the matter?"

You fidgeted with the buttons on your cuff for a moment, before thinking that you were probably overthinking things as he had pointed out that you tend to do. Flashing him a broad smile as you pulled yourself up to look out over the rail, your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you didn't recognise where you were.

"No, nothings wrong was just wondering. Where are we? This isn't the way to Two Bends?"

"Very observant as always lass, no it's not. We're going to Red Bank, the captain insisted that we all needed a rest for a day or two."

A small smile crept up over your face as you watched Gist take back control of the ship, steering you towards your new destination. The thought of getting to unwind for even a day sounded appealing, with no missions or tragic events to rush off to.


	12. Chapter 12

You stared up at the stars as you sat down near the bonfire on the pebbled beach, finally beginning to relax as the sound of the small waterfall's nearby, and the smell of the fresh caught deer cooking on the spit tickled your senses. You giggled as one of the crew struck up a lively tune on his fiddle, making Fred jump up and attempt to dance with Gist, his face awash with mock horror. Sighing contentedly as Shay sat behind you, wrapping his arms around you and kissing your cheek, you leaned back into his embrace, and turned to see he finally had a smile on his face.

"This was a really good idea. I don't think Jacks going to be happy though, no doubt he's pacing about, wondering where we've got to."

"At this moment in time, I couldn't care love. It's no good if we're too exhausted and forget why we're doing all this."

You didn't have a chance to reply as Fred came bounding over, pulling you up and dragging you to where the rest of the crew were cheering and singing.

"Sorry capt'n, need to borrow yer lady for a bit, Mister Gist is an 'orrid dancer."

Managing to glance over your shoulder to see Shay burst out laughing and Christopher sit down next to him, your stomach lurched as Fred wrapped one arm around your waist, taking your other hand in his and swinging you about wildly almost in time with the music.

"You seem a bit less troubled now captain, I was beginning to get concerned."

Gist looked at Shay out of the corner of his eye, grinning as his focus never faltered from you, watching you laugh as you were passed between the crew, dancing with each for a moment.

"Aye mate, just been wondering if it will ever end. The Assassins, Achilles, they will never stop, even if it means bringing everything crashing down with them."

Christopher reached up and grabbed the bottle out of one of the crews' hands as he stumbled passed, and took a long swig before giving it to the captain.

"Is that the only thing that's been disturbing you?"

Shay paused for a moment as he brought the bottle up to his lips, raising an eyebrow at Gists question. He always quite openly spoken, that much was no secret, but he wasn't like him to probe like this unless he knew something that he wasn't letting on. Not wanting to answer, he tipped the bottle up and drank slowly, before letting it drop to the floor in suprisement as your voice rang through the air.

"Shes waitin' there by the mango tree, round the corner Sally!"

Shays' eyes widened as he turned to Gist, whose mouth had also dropped in astonishment, before turning back to you and watching you sing, the crew joining in on the chorus.

"She loves me good, she loves me long, round the corner Sally! She loves me hot and she loves me strong..."

You winked at Shay as you sang that part, trying not to giggle as you watched him fluster and a huge smile spread across his face.

"You didn't mention that she could also sing captain."

"I didn't know mate. Though I shouldn't be surprised, her mouths just as skilled as the rest of her."

Shay threw Gist a knowing smirk as he got up to make his way over to you, turning his head to see him chuckle as he wrapped his arm around your waist, grinning and join in with the singing.

 

 

Now full of deer, and slightly hazy from the rum, you sat next to Christopher as he told another somewhat exaggerated tale from one of his many adventures. Feeling a hand on your shoulder, you looked up to see Shay gazing down at you affectionately, reaching out with his other hand to pull you up.

"Fancy a walk love?"

You grinned as got up, linking your arm through his and followed him along the babbling stream, deeper into the trees. Carefully balancing on a broken log, you crossed to the other side of the water and continued down the banks until you reached a waterfall, smiling as you watched it glisten and sparkle under the moonlight as if it were made from jewels. You gasped as Shay spun you around and pulled you to him, your hands landing on his chest as he wrapped his arms around you, gently swaying to the now soft and slow music you could still faintly hear. Closing your eyes and letting out a gentle sigh as you lay your head on his shoulder, you savoured in the moment, wishing it would never end. 

"(Name)?"

Looking up to Shay, you saw his face tinged with pink, and slightly anxious as he brought his hand up to lay on top of yours, his voice a shaking whisper.

"An bpósfaidh tú mé?"

You didn't need to ask him again what that meant as he gently slid off your ring, flipping it over and hovering it over your finger on your left hand. Your heartbeat jumped to match the pace his was underneath your hands as your eyes widened, a soft smile erupting as your breath caught in your throat.

"Yes."

His lips captured yours passionately as he pushed the ring over your finger, before bending down and sweeping you off your feet, carrying you back to the ship.

 

 

Neither of you said anything as you slowly undressed each other, fingers grazing and exploring as if it were your first time together. You quietly gasped as his hands curled around the backs of your thighs, lifting you gently against him and carrying you over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it as your legs instinctively wrapped around his waist.

Your skin began to tingle as he ran a trail of soft kisses over you, starting at your lips, and working his way over your cheek and neck, stopping at the sensitive spot that made you moan as he tenderly bit down on it. 

Sliding his hands under your rear, he lifted you up and manoeuvred himself to poke at your entrance, lowering you so excruciatingly slowly it made you tremble against him. As soon as you were fully seated on him, you dragged your nails down his back as the tremor of pleasure ran straight through your core making him tense up beneath you, his hands running up your sides and softly cupping your breasts, his thumbs rubbing over your peaks to make them harden instantly.

What surprised you next, was even though you weren't moving against each other, you could feel the deep ache starting to build inside you already, growing stronger by the second as your hands ran over the smoothness of his body, your fingertips tracing the defined muscles.

You brought up your shaking hand to lift his head from your neck, staring deep into his eyes and watching the corner of his mouth twitch slightly as he felt your walls tighten around him, your breath leaving you in little pants as the winding coil inside you threatening to break at any moment. Your mouth descended on his as you came, kissing him hard and whimpering as the flash of lightning ripped through you, making stars swim before your eyes, the darts of light rocketing as the pleasure tore through your entire body.

Pulling away slightly to catch your breath, you felt his lips smile against yours, his arms wrapping around you tightly as you quivered around him. The fluttering of your walls around his shaft surged him into rocking his hips against you, unable to hold back the burning desire for you any longer. Your grip on him tightened as his mouth captured yours again, rolling over so you were now on your back, clawing at his shoulders as he pushed even deeper into you that made the barely dying pleasure within you spike again.

A deep groan erupted from his chest as he pulled out to nearly the tip, before plunging back in, making your hips rock with the force of his need to feel every part of you around him. You could feel him tensing up and begin to quiver as you broke away from the kiss, moaning his name over and over as the burning passion started to overwhelm you yet again. The ripples intensified and made you flood as you felt his hot fluid pump into you, his hips trembling against you, your joint climaxes so intense they left you both breathless.

Shay collapsed on top of you, only just managing to hold his weight on his arm as he littered kisses over your neck as you tried to catch your breaths, your fingers gently trailing down his back, smiling as your touch made him twitch.

"So.. I'm guessing this is what you've been worried about then?"

Shay looked at you a bit sheepishly as he brushed his lips against yours, and rolling you both on your sides before he collapsed fully on top of you.

"Amongst other things, but that was the main reason, love."

"You worry too much, did you actually think I would say no?"

His arms wrapped around you tighter, pulling you into his chest and kissing the top of your head gently.

"Wasn't sure, not with everything that's going on at the moment."

"Hmmm, well now you have your answer."

You lay in his arms, inhaling in his musky scent as you felt him relax around you, stifling a yawn as for now, all of your worries had melted away. After a few minutes, you looked up slightly as you felt his breathing slow, a smile creeping up your face as you saw he had fallen into a deep sleep.

 

 

You stared up at the cloudless sky as you eventually docked at Two Bends, bracing yourself to refuse whatever ramifications of being gone for an extra day, spoil your good mood. Waiting at the side of the ship for Shay, ready to disembark, you jumped as you felt someone grab your hand from behind where you stood. You looked around to see Christopher with a beaming grin, his thumb stroking your ring on your left hand.. under your glove. There's no way he could have guessed it was there, unless...

"You knew?!"

Gist shrugged his shoulders, his smile never faltering as he took in your bewildered expression.

"Turns out that there was someone on the ship who knew what you asked my dear, and as Bart is still breathing, it didn't take a genius to figure out it was the captain who had said it to you."

You mentally kicked yourself for not thinking about asking the one other Irish man on the ship what that phrase was, but decided that it was a good job you didn't, as it would have spoilt Shays plans.

"That's why you've been grinning these past few days, I'm surprised you managed not to say anything."

Gist grasped his chest, pretending to be hurt at your comment as Shay walked over, his eyes dancing as he saw what Christopher was doing with your hand.

"I hear congratulations are in order Captain."

"Shhh, keep it down mate, don't want anyone knowing just yet, at least not until we get out of here."

Christopher nodded as he let go of your hand so Shay could take it, and lead you up the hill to the headquarters, hoping that your lateness in arriving would go unnoticed.

 

"I expected you back yesterday Captain, (name). I trust everything went well as you're stood here though?"

You tried not to show any nervousness as Weeks looked over you both, waiting for some kind of explanation as to why you back later than you were supposed to be. 

"We took more damage than expected Mister Weeks, couldn't sail until last night, but yes, the fort is now under our control."

Seeing that Weeks was happy with Shays explanation, you silently breathed a sigh of relief as you tried to focus on what he was saying, only catching half of what he said as last nights events swam through your mind, making the corner of your lips curl slightly.

"....so we must leave at once."

You saw Shay smirk out of the corner of your eye when he noticed your mind was elsewhere, making a pink tinge cover your cheeks as his hand crept up the small of your back, showing he knew what you were thinking about. You followed the men down the hill back to the docks, still none the wiser as to where you were going next.

 

"So... You going to tell me where we're headed then?"

You leaned up against the rail as Shay steered the ship out of the dock, resting your hands on your hips as he grinned at you.

"You should really pay more attention love."

"Well I blame you for my slight lapse in concentration, so are you going to tell me or are you going to make me guess?"

Shay chuckled as he handed Gist the wheel, who was also amused that you had been slightly distracted today.

"Back to New York, Chevalier's been gathering ships and supplies, we need to find out what he's up to."

Your fists clenched and your jaw locked at hearing this, the images of when the Assassins took you to their hideout flickering through your mind.

"That means Hope and Liam won't be too far behind. I'll look forward to doing more than nearly breaking his nose this time."

Wincing as you saw Shays face drop, you laced your fingers with his and looked up at him with regretful eyes.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting he was your friend. We never did see eye to eye, thankfully I only spoke to him a few times."

Shay squeezed your fingers as he sighed, his attention turning to Weeks as he strolled over the deck, heading towards you.

"It's alright love. I'll do what needs to be done, that I can promise. I won't let them hurt any more innocent people. Mr Weeks, what can I do for you?"

You turned your head to see Jack walking up the steps and staring intently at your hands holding the Captains, it quickly became apparent that he hadn't been informed of the events that had happened over the past few months.

"I was just wondering how long it will take to reach New York, I am not well versed in the Morrigans capabilities."

Shay let go of your hands as he saw Jack glaring over his glasses grimacing as he imagined what he was thinking.

"Only a few days. (Name) I think you had better have a conversation with Mister Weeks here."

You nodded and took Jacks arm, feeling rather nervous as you led him to the captains' cabin to fill him in of everything that has happened recently.

Pacing the room as Jack processed what you had just told him, you became more anxious as he just sat there, cleaning his spectacles on his waistcoat until he eventually spoke.

"Hmmm, I see. Well, that does explain why Master Kenway doesn't seem to have been himself of late. Far be it for me to pry into members of the orders personal matters, but I'm glad you told me before we meet up with him in New York. No doubt I would have said something to enrage him."

"We're meeting Haytham?"

Your stomach clenched and you felt nauseous at the thought of seeing him again, especially after what happened at your last encounter.

"Yes. Were you not listening earlier?"

"Sorry, must have slipped my mind."


	13. Chapter 13

You leaned up against a wall at the docks in New York, picking at your nails with a dagger while you were waiting for Shay to return with more information about what Chevalier was doing. Glancing up at Haytham who was pacing in front of you, your gut wrenched slightly, so you turned to Jack in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence.

"So how long has de la Vérendrye been gathering supplies?"

"A little over a week, so we must act fast. We were lucky that our spies got the information as soon as they did, or we would have had no chance at all in stopping them."

Your attention was broken away as you saw Shay clambering over the rooftops, jumping down and briskly walking towards you.

"Hope's found a way to make the box work, and they're getting ready to set sail as we speak. She has hundreds of men working for her, we'll never find them in time."

The unnerving silence ensued again, as the four of you pondered what to do next. You found yourself coming up empty-handed, but relieved when Jack finally spoke.

"How about we impersonate her men? Commit a crime so big the authorities will interfere and slow everything down?"

"Excellent idea Mister Weeks. You and Captain Cormac can start at once, (name) and I will find out where the Assassins are hiding."

Your gaze snapped to Haytham as he spoke, definitely not expecting him to want you to be with him on such an errand. You glanced out of the corner of your eye at Shay, whose own face was twisted in a mix of surprise and annoyance, his fists clenched tightly.

"Master Kenway. A word? Sir?"

Looking at Shay as he rounded the corner with Kenway, your brow furrowed in confusion as to what Shay could possibly have to say to him. Using your vision, you could see them conversing; the bustle of the docks make it impossible to hear anything. You became even more bewildered as you saw Haytham look up wide-eyed in your general direction, before frowning again and turning back to the captain. Turning your attention elsewhere as they came back around the corner, a slight of a smile crept up your face as Shay kissed you on the cheek, and followed Weeks down the busy streets.

"What was that about?"

"I do not have to explain anything to you." Kenway snapped.

His face softened marginally as he took in your startled expression, you didn't recall him ever speaking to you like that before, even after everything that had happened.

"Nothing important. Now, let us find some criminals to interrogate shall we?"

 

You flinched slightly when blood splattered across your cheek as Haytham sunk his blade in the thug's neck, and dropped him to the floor. He passed you a handkerchief to wipe it off as he began to pace, waving his hand for you to keep it as you went to hand it back.

"Another dead end. Do none of these blasted criminals not know anything about what their leaders are doing?"

"Maybe I can try the next one? I might be a bit more, persuasive."

A smirk flickered on his face as you gestured for him to lead the way out of the back alleys to find another target.

"Very well. I have not seen your work since your encounter with the assassins, I must say I am slightly intrigued to see how far you have come along."

"You might be... pleasantly surprised."

 

Your attention spanned off to the right as you spotted two men in orange uniforms, sauntering over and speaking to them for a moment, before pulling them into a small alley as you giggled. Getting them far enough away from the crowd, you pushed them both against the wall, quickly flicking out your blade and plunging it straight into the chest of the one on your left. 

Grinning as the other one tried to get away, you pushed him back up against the wall harshly, dropping your left arm, so your blade pressed up hard against his groin.

"Now, be a dear and tell me where your boss is?"

You pressed harder with your blade as he kept silent, making him grimace in pain as you cut slightly into the inside of his leg.

"Fine! Shes at that big mansion! The one with the gardens!"

Glancing slightly to your side, you saw Haythams arm reach over your shoulder and plunge his blade cleanly in his throat as you stepped back, letting the body slump to the floor.

"Nicely done my dear, I am quite impressed. Now, are you going to let me apologise?"

"Apolo... After everything you have done?! Your words are meaningless!" You spat.

Your frown dropped slightly as you took in his expression, which did show a hint of remorse under his usual placid demeanour. Sighing as you lowered your head, you smiled to yourself as the past few weeks swam through your mind.

"Fine. Certain events that have happened recently have made me think that life is too short to hold a grudge. I sort of understand why you did what you did, for the order, even though I wasn't happy with the outcome. If you decide to force yourself on me again, you'll find yourself in the same situation as him."

You kicked the dead body on the ground, hopefully proving your point.

"So. Now that's cleared up, let's continue, shall we? Master Kenway?"

He nodded somberly as you flicked your wrist to retract your blade, you followed Kenway back to the busy streets in search of Shay and Jack. You both stopped for a moment as a large group of guards pushed by you, smirking as that let you know that the others had completed their own mission. Looking back as you felt Haythams hand lay on your arm, you saw that he seemed slightly shameful, something that you had never seen him do before, and most likely wouldn't again.

You felt slightly unnerved as to why he had a sudden change of heart, you couldn't help but feel he was up to something.

 

It didn't take long to find Weeks and the Captain, they were hiding close by the fort, keeping out of sight of the numerous guards that were chasing the criminals as they ran away.

"What in gods name are you wearing?" You giggled as you glanced over Shay who hadn't managed to change out of his disguise yet.

"What? I make this look good."

You cocked your head to one side, not entirely disagreeing as Weeks handed him back his own clothes that they had stashed away, letting Kenway fill them in as they got changed and made your way to the mansion. Just before you got there, you felt Shays' arm snake around your waist, making you drop back slightly out of Kenways earshot.

"I don't want you to come in with me to find Hope, love. I need to confront her, by myself."

You went to argue, but managed to stop yourself as you saw the sorrowful expression on his face and squeezed his hand as you nodded, letting him know that you understood what he was going through. Watching him run off down the side of the mansion, you took up position next to Haytham, ready to fight off the criminals that were guarding the front. 

 

After finally defeating the last of the criminals, you spotted Shay running back to you, his face fraught stricken and a sickly shade of green.

"Shay?! What happened? Hope?!"

"Hopes dead. She poisoned me, but I got the antidote in time. Chevalier and Liam have already left, she stayed to distract us to give them a chance to get away."

Haytham, who was stood behind you and listening intently to everything that the captain was saying, eventually pushed past you and paced thoughtfully.

"You must follow them at once captain, they must not be allowed to reach the precursor site. (Name) I need you to come with me back to Boston, there is another Assassin threat that must be eliminated."

You froze to the spot as Kenway continued talking, your mouth agast at the orders he was giving you. Looking up at Shay, you could see he wanted to argue, but in his current state, he didn't have the energy for it. 

"What? I'm not going with you!"

Haythams eyes narrowed as you stood defiantly in front of him, your fists clenched in anger that he would suggest such a thing.

"You are still a member of the order, and as such, you will follow orders. I have allowed certain liberties given our previous relationship, but now, you will do as I say!"

You winced as his voice growled in anger, and watched him storm off towards Headquarters, expecting you to follow. Turning to Shay who seemed to be slightly better as the antidote kicked in, your stomach clenching as he shook his head.

"You had better go with him, love. Hopefully, I will find Chevalier and Liam fast."

"Are you joking? You actually want me to go with him?!"

Shay wrapped one arm around your waist, and brought up his other hand up to your chin, his thumb brushing your lips gently.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course, but what does that have to do with this?"

He lowered his head, his lips capturing yours in a long tender kiss and pulled you tightly against him, enough so you could feel him trembling against you.

"Go love. I will be back soon."

Letting go and making his way towards the docks, he left you standing there, slightly shocked, and completely confused.

 

 

Stepping onto the docks of Boston, you waited for Haytham to finish conversing with the captain of the ship, scowling slightly as you watched him disembark.

"So what is it that you wanted me to do then? You've been rather evasive on the entire way here, I don't like being kept in the dark."

Kenway pressed on the small of your back, signalling for you to continue walking to the busy streets as you conversed.

"We have learnt of small groups of assassins, who have been given contracts to eliminate certain high ranking members of society, and members of our order. One of them being Mister Johnson."

Freezing in your tracks and turning to face Haytham wide-eyed, you grit your teeth in anger at him not saying anything before now.

"William?! This would have gone a lot smoother if you had only said he needed my help. Where is he?"

"I believe he is at the Green Dragon."

You immediately broke out into a sprint towards the tavern, knocking several people down who got in your way, not even bothering to check if Haytham was following you as you burst through the door.

"William!"

Johnson jumped up out of his chair as you bounded up the steps, groaning as you thought your ribs might break when he gave you his usual bear of a hug.

"(Name), so good to see you again! Glowing as ever, I trust you are well?"

Nodding through your wheezing as he finally let you go, you perched on the edge of the table as he sat back down with a slump, waving over to the bar wench to bring more drinks.

"I'm good. You aren't, from what I've heard?"

You glanced behind you to see Kenway trudging up the steps, smirking as you saw he was slightly breathless when he pulled up a chair to sit next to where you were.

"Could be better dear. Been stuck in this damned place for just over a week. Ruddy assassins."

"Where are they?"

Smiling as you heard familiar footsteps stumbling behind you, you braced yourself for the expected drunken arm around your shoulder.

"Thems everywhere, I'll show you where they is."

Haytham got up and pushed the slightly inebriated Hickey into a chair before he reached you, scowling as he snatched his tankard out of his hand and sliding it across the table.

"You will do no such thing in your condition, did you forget that you are supposed to be guarding Johnson here?"

"Pssht, I'm good to go. Fight better after a bit of drink" Hickey slurred.

Shaking your head and trying to suppress your laughter, your face dropped as Haytham continued to scowl.

"Thomas. Just tell me where they are, I'll deal with them."

Pressing his fingers against his temples as he thought hard, a glimmer of a smile crept up his face as he suddenly remembered where he and the spies had located the group of assassins.

"Near the whore house last we saw, about five of em, reckon you can take em all?"

"The brothel, of course. That's where I'd send assassins to find you, William."

Smirking at Johnson's grin as you got up from the table, your eyebrows rose in surprise as Haytham gestured for you to take his arm.

"She will not be going alone. Shall we be off?"

Hesitantly you linked your arm through Kenways as he led you out of the tavern, dropping it as soon as you were out of the door.

"Whats all this about?"

You frowned as Haytham tried to retake your arm, crossing your arms in annoyance. Not entirely being able to read his expression, you continued to stare at him while you waited for him to answer.

"Just keeping my word."

"Your word?"

"To keep you out of harm's way while you are here. I may be many things, but I do have some integrity, my dear."

A sudden realisation washed over you as he said this, it became evident now as to what he and Shay were speaking about in New York. But that couldn't be all they had said surely? You were so engrossed in thought that you hadn't realised that you had reached the brothel until Haytham had stopped walking.

"I don't need you to protect me. So what's the plan?"

Kenway stood for a moment taking in the surroundings, before pulling you slightly behind him as he spotted something lurking in the shadows. Following his line of sight, you saw someone jump down from the roof, and hide in the small alleyway that ran down the side of the building.

"I will go to the right, you to the left. Be careful, we are not sure that there are only five of them."

You looked down as he pressed something into the palm of your hand, to see several delicately crafted needles, most likely filled with a sedative. Tucking them in a hidden pocket just inside your coat, you quickly climbed up the side of the adjacent building, perching on the edge of the roof to give yourself a better view.

Smirking to yourself as you spotted the first Assassin on the roof, he was obviously a trainee as he stuck out like a sore thumb, crouched down behind the chimney and fiddling with his hidden blade. As he wasn't that much of a threat, you concentrated on finding the others. To the untrained eye, there was just the usual bustle of people swarming around the house, but you knew how to pick up on the subtle details. Like the man who was sitting on the bench to the side, who was staring hard at the main door and shooing away any advances of the few whores that were outside to tempt the men to come in, or the one that was in the alley swaying around, pretending to be drunk.

Satisfied that finding three would be enough and Kenway would have spotted the other two, you crept along the edge of the roof so that the Assassin that was acting drunk was directly beneath you. Leaping off the building and flicking out your blade, you landed cleanly on your target, sinking your weapon straight into his back, jumping off him and pressing yourself hard up against the wall as he slumped to the floor.

Knowing that someone would find the body soon, you undid your coat and the first few buttons of your shirt so anyone looking would think you were a working girl, albeit a well dressed one. Sauntering over and straddling the man on the bench before he had a chance to react, you pressed your lips against his to muffle his cry as you buried your blade in his chest, before getting off and laying him down so people would think he was asleep.

Climbing quickly up the side of the brothel and behind the third Assassin, who was still distracted fiddling with his blade, you inched closer quietly, getting ready to lunge. Just before you reached him, you felt a pair of arms wrap around you and pull you up, holding you tight as you squirmed to get out of the grasp. The trainee jumped up as he was startled at the noise behind him, so you took the opportunity to kick out, hitting him straight in the chest, sending him plummeting to the ground below.

You struggled to free yourself from Assassins grasp, twisting and flailing about did no good. Suddenly remembering the darts that Haytham had given you, you managed to painfully twist your arm so you could reach into your coat, only just able to pluck one of the needles out of your pocket and sink it into your assailant's arm.

After a few seconds you felt the grip around you loosen, but as he slumped down, your legs were knocked from underneath you, sending you sliding down the tiles towards the edge. Grasping out, you only just managed to catch the lip of the roof to slow your descent slightly and swing off the side, the momentum crashing you straight into the side of the wall, knocking the wind out of you and making you lose your grip again. With nothing to grab ahold of you were sure you were hurtling towards your death, so you braced yourself for the impact, only to be met with a softer landing as a pair of arms wrapped around you tightly.

Hearing a loud 'Oof' against your neck, you looked up to see that Haytham had caught you just in time, saving you from your imminent demise. Rolling off him you extended your hand to help him up, you managed a smile as he brushed himself off.

"Um, thanks. Did you find the rest of them?"

Noticing that he wasn't looking at your face out of the corner of his eye, you looked down to see your chest slightly bared from where you had undone your buttons for your facade earlier. You did them back up quickly, your eyes narrowing as he smirked.

"I could not lose one of the foremost members of our order over a silly fall now, could I? I have eliminated two of the assassins, how many did you rid the world of?"

You put your hand on your hip and sniggered at his attempt to compliment you, feeling quite pleased as you had outdone the Grand Master.

"Four. You need to catch up, Master Kenway."

"I wasn't aware we were in competition? Hopefully, that is the last of them for now, but I fear that may not be the case, there will be others to resume the contract. Shall we depart and tell Mister Johnson the good news?"

Shrugging your shoulders as you turned to make your way back to the tavern, you saw that Haytham was still smirking to himself.

"I was wondering if you would be favourable to a wager my dear?"

Your eyebrows rose at Kenways suggestion, he didn't seem like the type of person to make a bet, but you were still curious as to what he wanted.

"What kind of wager?" You asked hesitantly.

"Whoever eliminates the most Assassins while we are here. If I win, dinner. Just the two of us."

Slightly intrigued now as that did sound like something that he would suggest, the corner of your mouth crept up as you chose your own reward, quite sure that you would win.

"Fine. If I win, I get to choose what assignments I do from now on."

"Then we have an accord."

Feeling quite pleased with this arrangement, you smiled slightly as being here just became a bit less tedious.


	14. Chapter 14

Three weeks had passed.

You were sat at the table in the kitchen and poking at your cornmeal with your spoon, before pushing it away and slumping back in your chair.

"Not hungry dear? Thats not like you."

Glancing up at Flo as she took the bowl away, her face filled with concern just as your stomach churned at the thought of eating.

"Just exhausted Flo, running around after all these assassins has drained me. Also, I lost the bet...."

"Lost the.... Oh dear....."

One. How could you lose by one?! You were sure he had cheated somehow, but you had no way of proving it. Turning around as you heard someone walk through the door, you grimaced as Haytham came into view, standing tall and looking rather pleased with himself as he stood next to you.

"Guess you've come to collect on our wager?"

You sat upright as he sat down in the chair next to you, his smug grin faltering slightly at your expression.

"Is dinner with me such a frightful thought? Anyhow, we shall have to postpone our little accord for now, we are going on a trip."

Your ears pricked up but your heart sank at the thought of going on another voyage with Kenway, even if it did distract you from worrying about Shay for a while. Although you did suppose he had been kinder to you recently, dinner might not be as bad as you feared when you returned. You rubbed your temples firmly before dropping your hands to the table, your fingers tracing absent mindedly over the knots in the wood.

"More Assassins?"

His face became expressionless as he took in your exhausted form, in fact you were so fatigued you didn't even flinch when his placed his hand on top of yours.

"In a matter of sorts. Captain Cormac has discovered the location of the precurser site to which the Achillies and Liam are headed, we are to join him as soon as possible."

Jumping up out of the chair as your eyes lit up and you threw your arms around Haytham, not letting go until he cleared his throat, he looked quite perplexed at your embrace around him, then saddened as you dropped your arms when you remembered who you were hugging. Perching back on the edge of your seat, eager for more information, you gestured for him to continue.

"Um, sorry. Where are we going?"

"North my dear. The Arctic to be more precise. Make sure you pack for extreme cold, we leave tomorrow."

 

A smile tugged at the corner of your lips as you lent over the rail when deep red sails came into view, your stomach churned in a mix of apprehension and excitement. Blowing into your hands and rubbing them together in attempt to stave off the cold, you turned to Kenway who was conversing with the captain, and glared at him in envy, the freezing temperatures apparently had no effect on him. 

When he noticed your shivering, you anxiously walked towards him as he gestured for you to come over, tucking you under his arm and wrapping his cape around you.

A tinge of pink skittered across your cheeks as the captain glanced between you and Haytham, he was obviously reading more into this embrace than there actually was.

"A thousand apologies Grand Master, had I known you were together, I would have sorted different accomodations for you."

"We're not.. me and him.. were just...friends." you blurted out, hopefully quelling his assumptions quickly.

You felt Haythams grip around you tighten slightly as you spoke, dismissing the captain so he could turn his attention back to you.

"Friends? My dear I do believe that is the nicest thing you have said about me over the last six months."

"Yeah, well. Don't let it go to your head, your ego is big enough as it is."

He smirked as he rubbed your arm to counter the last of your shivers, resting his chin on the top of your head.

"Well I suppose I will have to be satisfied with that. Let's get ready shall we, we are nearly there."

 

 

You literally ran off the boat the second it had docked next to the Morrigan, if you would call it that as the thick snow on the ground hindered your movements, crashing into Shay as you met him halfway up the gang plank. He looked slightly perplexed as he wrapped his arms tightly around you, burying his face in your neck.

"Were you not expecting me?"

He lifted his head and kissed you deeply, before looking over the top of your head to see Haytham has finally caught you up, slightly breathless at trudging through the snow.

"No I wasn't love. Master Kenway, I thought that we had agreed that you would keep her safe?"

"I would have been fearing my own safety had I not brought her along captain, and besides, there is a wager I needed to satisfy."

Shay chuckled at the thought of what you might have done to the Grand Master, had he left you back in Boston, then looked completely bemused as your head snapped to Kenway to glare at him when you had found out he had deceived you yet again.

"I knew it!"

"Wager? What wager love?"

Turning back to Shay, you bit your lip and smirked, trying to buy a second to figure out what to say as you knew he wouldn't approve of the methods for said bet.

"Nothing really, but lets just say he won't be telling me where to go anymore."

His grip tightened around you as a sly grin crept up his face directed towards Haytham, who now adorned his usual nonchalant demeanor.

"Ahem, yes. Now I do believe we have some Assassins to stop?"

Both yours and Shays faces dropped as you let each other go, turning to look up at the icy wall that the precurser site was hidden in.

"They're already inside Master Kenway, we had better hurry. (Name) I want you to stay on the Morrigan with Gist."

"Agreed. The earth is still standing so they must not have found it yet, we must make haste." said Kenway from behind you.

You creased your face in annoyance, the mens protectiveness of you was becoming unwarranted and exasperating.

"Not a chance. I didn't come all this way to sit on a boat. Im a Templar too remember, not some giggling frilly barmaid!"

Haytham and Shay both raised their hands in defeat at your outburst, knowing it was pointless to argue with you when you were riled up like this.

"Okay okay. Just stay behind me please love?"

The three of you made your way through the icy cavern, leaping between the glaciers effortlessly now that you had warmed up slightly at the exertion, you were suddenly faced with another wall of ice.

"Ladies first."

You snorted as Haytham gestured for you to climb first, running your hands through the deep crack in the face of it, before wedging your feet and fingers in, shimmying up it quite quickly. Staring out over the plateau while you waited for the men to follow as you reached the top, you couldn't help but admire your surroundings, only for it to be spoilt by noticing the assassin ship, and numerous soldiers that had set up camp below.

"We're vastly outnumbered."

Shay and Haytham followed your gaze as they pulled themselves up, quickly trying to decide on what to do next.

"We'll just have to not draw any attention to ourselves, keep hidden as much as we can lass."

Haytham nodded in agreement and began jumping onto the ledge's than ran across the wall, springing off the lowest and killing the guard directly below him silently. You and Shay followed suit, making your way stealthily through the camp, taking out the soldiers one by one until the way was clear.

Kenway caught you up as you reached the far end and began climbing a tall ladder, delving deeper into the cavern until you came to a frozen bridge.

"I'll go first, test it's strength." 

You didn't blink once as you watched Shay slowly navigate the ice beam, the groans echoing in the air under his weight. Just as he made it to the other side, the ground trembled, and a huge boulder fell from the ceiling, completely destroying the path between you.

"Shay go ahead, we'll find another way around." Haytham called out from behind you, grabbing your arm and pulling you back the way you came. Working your way back around to the camp, you spotted what could be an entrance high up in the wall, only accessable by climbing up into the small recesses in its face.

"Haytham, up there. Thats our way in."

Kenway looked up to where you were pointing, his head creasing slightly in doubt that you would make it so far up.

"Not satisfied with an easier way my dear? That doesn't look like an easy task."

"Oh come now Grand Master, don't tell me you're afraid of heights."

He smirked as you began to climb the wall, following your path as you checked the footholds to the first recess. Shuffling your way across the ledges, you lept up and caught the edge of the last one, pulling yourself up so you were stood next to the opening.

Dropping to your knees and reaching out as you saw Haytham jump short, you just managed to catch his wrist, nearly pulling you off the ledge with him. Digging your feet firmly in a crack in the wall, you managed to anchor yourself enough so he could climb up your arm, hoisting himself to grab onto the ledge next to you. Slightly breathless, you pulled him up alongside yourself, smirking as he looked embarrassed.

"Do none of you Templar men know how to jump?" You chided as you pressed through the narrow corridor, which hopefully led you to the site.

"Forgive me if navigating through ice is not one of my fortes. But thank you, I'm assuming we are even now."

You threw him a coy smile before turning your attention back to the corridor, stopping in your tracks at the sight before you as it widened into a large cavern. It was filled with dark stone towers with strange glyphs, and ledges that you had no idea how they were moving, sharp beams of light emitting from them periodically. Haytham snuck past you as he saw a guard further in front of you, pushing him into the light as it erupted from the floor, disintegrating him instantly.

Looking up to your right, you spotted Shay looking down at you, his eyes widening at the event that just happened, staring at the pile of rancid smelling ash on the floor.

"I suggest we avoid the light my dear." 

Nodding furiously you pressed on, timing your movements carefully in between the pulses of light. Your breath stuck in your throat as you saw Shay slip down the pillar he was climbing, only just managing to latch back on as a beam threw out below him, missing by inches. He was making far significant progress than you, swinging between the pillars that were moving back and forth, leaping to the entrance of the precurser temple before you were halfway through.

 

Eventually making it to the to where Shay was, you ran up the steps to find Achilles and Liam arguing in front of a strange glowing shape, spinning in mid air above a small pillar.

"Finally you understand Achillies! This is a structure that holds the world together, not a weapon to destroy it! You should have listened to me!"

Liam turned around and stepped forward, his face twisted in rage at the presence of his former friend.

"Right or wrong, you and (name) betrayed us! Achillies, the Brotherhood!"

"Says the man who tried to kill me by shooting me in the back!" Shay scoffed.

"That was Chevalier, I don't miss!"

Achillies grabbed Liam as he pulled out his gun, the struggle knocking the artifact off its pedestal, making the ground and walls shake instantly. The Assassins split up as they fled, you could just make out Shays voice in the deafening rumble of the quake.

"Get Achillies! Ive got Liam!"

Turning on your heel and following Haytham as he persued Achillies up the steps, you skidded across the pathway to narrowly dodge a huge boulder that fell from the ceiling, making the gap between you and Achillies widen. Trying to make up for lost ground, you took the higher path, slipping and sliding over the ledges of ice that began to crumble underfoot.

You managed to catch up to Haytham quickly, jumping over to the slope where he was chasing Achillies towards, but your footing faltered, landing straight on your rear and began sliding down the icy track towards the chasm below. You felt a strong hand grab your wrist and pull you up without missing a beat, dragging you back into a fast sprint as you landed back on your feet, scarcely missing the wall of ice that came plummeting down behind you.

Just as you spied daylight, Haytham lunged at Achillies, grabbing him and tumbling down the snowy bank, both men getting to their feet rapidly and engaging in swordfight. Just as you were about to draw your own weapons, you heard Shay call out from behind you as Haytham was just about to deal a killing blow.

"No! Don't!"

Throwing himself between them, Shay put his hand up to block Haythams sword, the Grand Master only just managing to pull back in time.

"He's harmless now, a mentor with no followers, Liam is dead, show mercy! If he dies, the Assassins will still look for the sites."

"Valid points."

You breathed a sigh of relief as Haytham sheathed his sword, only to jump when he pulled out his pistol, and shot him straight in the knee, most likely injuring him for life.

"Never forget what has happened here" Haytham growled.

Following the Grand Master and Shay back aboard the Morrigan, you couldn't help but look pitifully at the man rolling around in the snow, screaming in agony.

 

 

Setting sail quickly, you were up on the top deck and pacing about as you listened to Haytham intently, wondering what he had planned for you next.

"Although our search for the precurser sites is at an end, I still want that box containing all of the information on them that was stolen from us. I want you both to find it, for me, and the order."

"Master Kenway, that could take years. We have no idea where it is."

You stopped pacing and lay a hand on Shays arm as he spoke hesitantly, probing at just what the Grand Master was getting at.

"It may take a lifetime, are you two up for the task?"

You both nodded in unison as he retreated down the deck to his quarters, a small smile creeping up on your face as you turned towards Shay to see he looked just as surprised.

"Did i just hear that right? He's giving us free rein to do whatever we want to do, aslong as we find that box?"

"Aye thats what it sounded like to me love. Where shall we start?"

Wrapping your arm around his waist and pulling him closer to you, you licked your lips as you whispered huskily in his ear.

"Well I don't know about the box yet, but you could start by showing me how much you missed me."

A devilish grin crept up over his face as he grabbed your hand, wasting no time in pulling you down the stairs and to your quarters.

 

 

The door had barely closed when his mouth descended on yours, kissing you so passionately that it took your breath away. Pushing his tongue past your lips to swim over yours, he wrapped his hands around the back of your thighs and lifted you up against him, crashing and bumping into everything nearby as he made his way over to the bed.

Pulling away as he placed you back on your feet, you both began tugging and pulling at each others clothes frantically trying to get them off, stealing little biting kisses in between your fumblings.

You let out a little squeal as he pushed you onto the bed when he finally got your upper half undressed, his mouth hungrily descending on every exposed patch of flesh that made you quiver and pant underneath him.

Whimpering as he shuffled back and knelt in front of you, he quickly shrugged off his coat and shirt that you had managed to undo, before tugging off your boots, and ripping your trousers open making buttons fly everywhere.

Your skin felt like it was on fire as he lowered his head, his tongue flicking over the small patch of skin where your trousers had parted, slowly moving lower as he pushed them down as you raised your hips in anticipation. He chuckled against your inner thigh as you tried to push your trousers down further, your entire body aching in desire to have him against you.

He didn't tease you any further as you looked down at him, your eyes practically begging for him go faster, groaning loudly as he pulled your legs free of the garment and clamping his mouth over your already dripping slit.

His hand slid underneath you to cup your rear and hold you against him as your back arched off the bed, your fingers clenching tightly into the blankets as his tongue wiggled and probed around your entrance, before moving back up and circling around your throbbing clit, making you exclaim and your head swim.

A strangled moan erupted your throat from as he slid a hand out from underneath you, plunging two fingers deep inside of you, immediately curling and rubbing your sensitive rough patch that made you squirm as the tight coil building inside you wound to almost breaking point.

You cried out as his mouth latched over your throbbing nub, sucking hard as waves of electrifying bliss surged through you with such ferocity, bright colours danced before your eyes before everything went dark for a moment.

Incoherently mumbling as he lapped up your essence, you trembled as he removed his fingers, massaging your folds as he raised his head and licked his now plump lips.

You weren't quite sure how you managed it, but you pulled yourself up to sit as he stood up, shuffling forwards and resting your hands on his hips as you trailed kisses over his stomach, smirking as you licked the pre cum off the tip of his cock that was peeking out of the top, making him inhale sharply.

Twisting the buttons free, your grazed your nails down the sides of his legs as you pushed them down, slowly licking him from the base, all the way to his tip before plunging your mouth over him, his deep groan and hands twining through your hair sending shivers down your spine.

You wiggled his shaft into your mouth as far as you could take him, which was about halfway, you brought your hands up to close around the rest, flicking your tongue around him as you moved your head and your hands in unison, that made his hips jolt forwards and his hands tighten in your hair.

Your hands continued moving, your saliva underneath them making the most delightfully indecent sound that made every part of you stir up again, you pulled your mouth back to suckle on his pulsing tip, flicking your tongue against the sensitive underside that made his legs tremble.

He murmured obscenities under his breath when you took him futher back into your mouth and hummed, making him leak even more against your tongue. You pulled your mouth off of him with a loud pop as his hand lifted your chin up, gazing down at you with lustful and adoring eyes.

Kicking off his boots and stepping out of his trousers, he gently laid you back as he crawled on top of you, kissing his way up over your stomach and breasts until he reached your mouth, capturing your lips in his devotedly. Reaching up behind his head, you tugged at the ribbon to let his hair fall free, the ends tickling your cheeks as you ran your fingers through the soft strands.

You both let out a heavy groan as he twisted his hips so he was poking at your entrance, pushing forwards slowly, your walls clamping down tightly on every inch as he filled you. Hooking one leg over his hip and holding it there, and using his other to hold himself up, you immediately began to tremble as he began moving against you at an agonizingly slow pace.

Knocking his elbow out from underneath him as he was pulling out, you let out a carnal moan as he crashed against you, plunging into you so deeply that it made your hips sink into the bed. He smirked against your neck as he moved faster, sucking and biting as you wrapped your arms around him tightly, your second climax building quickly with every thrust. Digging your nails into his back, his name like a prayer on your lips as the fervent pleasure sunk its claws into you once again, your body began to convulse as the lingering waves didn't ebb, the scorching fire in your veins becoming overwhelming.

Sensing your overstimulation, he stopped for a moment to roll over and sit up, holding your slumped body tightly against him as he tucked his legs underneath him, your legs and arms wrapping around him as you sunk back into his lap.

Tilting your chin up so he could look deep into your hazy eyes, he brushed the hair away that was stuck to your sweat laced head, caressing your cheek before pressing his lips against yours tenderly as he began to move his hips again slowly. Whimpering as you weren't sure how much more your body could take after being pushed into not one, but two intense climaxes that you had no doubt would linger for at least a day, you threw your head back and let out an unintentional mewl as the dull ache in your abdomen started to grow again.

Shay started to tense up against you, his thrusts becoming more irregular and his breathing became ragged when he groaned against your cheek, biting down on your neck as he flooded you with his hot white liquid. His climax pushed you over the brink yet again, making you collapse against him as every nerve in your body scorched with pain mixed with pleasure, at being thrown into the the thralls of ecstacy once again.

You shuddered against him as he dropped back onto the bed, his hands gently trailing down your back as he littered kisses over your cheek, before reaching down slightly and pulling the blankets over you as you mumbled something incoherently into his neck through rapid breaths.

"What was that?"

Managing to look up at him through half lidded eyes for a moment before collapsing back down on his chest with a soft smile, you turned your head to the side as it was as much as your muscles could handle at the moment.

"I said, missed me that much did you?"

You could feel him silently laugh beneath you as he kissed your head and ran his fingers gently through your hair, lulling you to sleep still impaled on him.

"More love."

 

 

You woke up at what seemed to be a few hours later, to see that you were now on your side facing Shay with his arm draped over your waist. He didn't even stir as you kissed him gently on the head and slipped out of bed, needing some fresh air as you were still uncharacteristically hot.

Peering out of the window, you could see that you had docked at some port that you didn't recognise, your eyes widening as you took in the sky. Dark, but littered with waves of green and pink lights. Pulling on your boots and grabbing a heavy blanket from the foot of the bed, you wrapped it around you tightly as you crept out of the room to get a better look.

The ship was completely barren as you stepped outside, the only noise you could hear was coming faintly from inland, where you assumed the crew were, enjoying their night off. Leaning on the rail as you admired the sky, watching the lights dance in the heavens, you jumped slightly as a pair of blanketed arms wrapped around you.

"Its so beautiful."

Shay hummed in agreement as he nuzzled into your neck, making you let out a soft sigh in contentment.

"(Name)... Can I ask you something?"

You closed your eyes as he nudged your hair out of the way, brushing his lips over your ear and neck, making you tremble.

"Hmmm?"

"When was the last time you......"

"Last time I?.." you mumbled, not quite following his train of thought.

You felt his hand shaking as he slipped it under your blanket, trailing his fingers between your soft mounds, and over your stomach.

"When was the last time you bled?"

Last time you.... Your eyes snapped open when you finally realised what he was getting at, a million things running through your mind as you tried to find the answer to his question. One by one, everything began to fall into place, your bouts of queasyness and lack of appetite recently, becoming more easily exhausted and his overwhelming desire to protect you.... You hadn't even noticed the change, being kept far too busy travelling around with the numerous missions.

You turned slightly so you could see his face, his eyes wide and dancing, his lips curving into a broad smile as he tightened his grip around you. You began to quiver as you finally found the answer, a huge grin spreading over your face as you finally managed to speak in a whisper.

"Not since just before the heatwave, a little over three months ago. Why didn't you say anything before?"

His mouth captured yours passionately just as you had finished speaking, his hand resting on your stomach, gently caressing it with his thumb. He eventually pulled away, resting his forehead against yours, gazing lovingly into your eyes.

"Was too early to tell, although I didn't want to take any chances, just in case. Seems like we did a little more than make the earth move in that ice cavern love."

You giggled as you remembered bringing the place down from your pleasured moans, playfully scowling as you recalled what he did to keep you safe recently.

"Hmmm, well I don't approve of your choice of methods, packing me off with Haytham like that, but I suppose ill let you off."

He looked a little sheepish as he picked you up and cradled you in his arms, carrying you back to your quarters, both now grinning wildly at the tiny life growing inside you.


End file.
